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Published on: January 23, 2017
Serum PCB concentrations and cochlear function in 12-year-old children
Tomás Trnovec1, Eva Sovcíková, Gabriela Pavlovcinová
1Slovak Medical University, Limbova 12, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia. tomas.trnovec@szu.sk
Insights
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure in children may damage cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). This study found associations between higher PCB levels and reduced otoacoustic emissions, indicating potential hearing impairment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Audiology
Background:
- Animal studies suggest Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure can harm cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs).
- Human data on the ototoxic effects of PCBs are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between serum PCB concentrations and cochlear status in children.
- To evaluate if PCBs negatively impact outer hair cell function in a human pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Serum PCB levels were measured in 574 Slovakian children using high-resolution gas chromatography.
- Cochlear status was assessed via transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs).
- Multivariate regression models analyzed the relationship between PCB concentrations and OAE measures, controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- Significant associations were found between various PCB types (dioxin-like, non-dioxin-like) and reduced TEOAE power at 1000 and 1500 Hz.
- A strong association between total PCBs, dioxin-like PCBs, and lower TEOAE power at 1500 Hz was observed in the left ear.
- DPOAEs at 1000 Hz were associated with all analyzed PCB groupings.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that PCBs may adversely affect human cochlear outer hair cells.
- Results align with animal studies, highlighting potential ototoxic risks of PCB exposure in children.
- Further research is warranted to understand the long-term auditory implications of PCB exposure.
Abstract:
Experimental evidence from animals indicates that exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) causes deterioration of the outer hair cells (OHCs) of the cochlea. To test this hypothesis in humans, we measured serum PCB concentrations in 574 12-year-old children residing in three districts in the Slovak Republic using high-resolution gas chromatography with microelectron capture detection. As a marker of cochlear status, we measured transient evoked (TE) and distortion product (DP) otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), and assessed the cross-sectional association between serum PCBs and OAEs. Median total PCB concentrations were 352.8, 150.5, and 134.9 ng/g lipid in Michalovce, Svidnik, and Bratislava, respectively. In multivariate regression models where otoacoustic measures were modeled as a function of log (base 10) PCB concentrations with adjustment for gender, age, and site of examination, dioxin-like PCBs, nondioxin-like PCBs and a PCB grouping targeting upregulation of hepatic uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase were significantly associated with lower TEOAE powers at 1000 and 1500 Hz. At 1500 Hz, we observed a strong association with sum of PCBs and DL-PCBs, in the left ear only. The DPOAEs at 1000 Hz were associated with all four PCB groupings. The results of this study show that PCBs may affect the OHCs of the cochlea, a result consistent with findings from animal studies published to date.
