Slovak Medical University, Limbová 12, 83303 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008 Mar;25(2):183-7. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2007.10.030. Epub 2007 Oct 24.
The objective of this cross-sectional epidemiological study was to assess if long-term exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is associated with hearing impairment. Four hundred and thirty-three children aged 8-9 years residing in an area polluted by PCBs in Eastern Slovakia were examined otoscopically, tympanometrically and by pure tone audiometry. PCB levels in their serum were determined by gas chromatography. Transient otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) were measured in a subgroup of 161 children. The mean of the sum of PCB concentrations in serum was 528.2ng/g serum lipids (median 321ng/g serum lipids). Serum PCB concentrations were associated with an increase of hearing threshold at low frequencies and a negative correlation between serum PCBs and the amplitude of TEOAE response was observed in the uppermost tertile of children grouped with regard to serum PCBs, not related to thyroid hormone levels. It was concluded that long-term environmental exposure to PCBs is associated with subclinical but diagnosable hearing deficits.
本横断面流行病学研究旨在评估长期暴露于多氯联苯（PCBs）是否与听力损伤有关。对居住在斯洛伐克东部被 PCBs 污染地区的 433 名 8-9 岁儿童进行了耳镜、鼓室图和纯音测听检查。通过气相色谱法测定了他们血清中的 PCB 水平。在 161 名儿童的亚组中测量了瞬态耳声发射（TEOAE）。血清中 PCB 浓度的平均值为 528.2ng/g 血清脂质（中位数为 321ng/g 血清脂质）。血清 PCB 浓度与低频听力阈值升高有关，并且在按血清 PCB 分组的儿童中，血清 PCBs 与 TEOAE 反应幅度呈负相关，与甲状腺激素水平无关。结论是，长期环境暴露于 PCBs 与亚临床但可诊断的听力缺陷有关。
