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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
PCB exposure and cochlear function at age 6 years
Ľubica Palkovičová Murínová1, Arturo Moleti2, Renata Sisto3
1Slovak Medical University, Faculty of Public Health, Department of Health Protection, Limbová 12, 833 03 Bratislava 37, Slovak Republic.
Insights
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure in children is linked to lasting cochlear damage, as indicated by otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). Pure tone audiometry (PTA) did not detect this PCB-related hearing dysfunction, highlighting DPOAEs as sensitive biomarkers.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Ototoxicology
- Pediatric Audiology
Background:
- Epidemiological studies link polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure to adverse otological outcomes.
- Previous research documented decreased distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) levels in PCB-exposed children up to 45 months.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate cochlear dysfunction at 72 months in PCB-exposed children.
- To compare the sensitivity of DPOAE testing versus pure tone audiometry (PTA) in detecting PCB-induced ototoxicity.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 214 children from an eastern Slovakian cohort.
- Multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) and linear regression models to assess associations between DPOAE, PTA, and PCB-153 serum levels.
- Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to determine DPOAE-test power.
Main Results:
- DPOAE levels at 72 months correlated significantly with PCB-153 serum levels.
- A non-monotonic dependence of DPOAE Input/Output function on PCB exposure was observed at mid-frequency (2kHz) in left ears.
- No significant association was found between PTA hearing levels and PCB-153 concentration.
- DPOAE testing demonstrated high diagnostic power in children.
Conclusions:
- The DPOAE-PCB correlation at 72 months suggests a permanent ototoxic effect of PCB exposure.
- DPOAEs are sensitive biomarkers for detecting PCB-induced cochlear damage, outperforming PTA.
- The findings underscore the importance of monitoring DPOAEs in children exposed to environmental toxins like PCBs.
Abstract:
Epidemiological studies have documented adverse associations between exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and otological outcomes. Previously, we documented decreased distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) levels in children exposed to PCBs, up to the age of 45 months, amongst a cohort of children in eastern Slovakia. The objective of the present study is to evaluate cochlear dysfunction at 72 months of age in 214 children from this same cohort and to compare the otoacoustic test sensitivity to that of pure tone audiometry (PTA). The association between DPOAE, PTA, and PCBs was estimated by means of multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) and linear regression models. ROC curves were computed to estimate the DPOAE-test power in children. The DPOAE level at 72 months was related to PCB-153 serum levels. The DPOAE Input/Output function test at mid-frequency (2kHz) has shown instead nonmonotonic dependence on PCB exposure, for the left ears of children, over the whole growth curve. No significant association was found between PTA hearing levels and PCB-153 concentration. High diagnostic power of the DPOAE-test was found in children, similar to that found by the same authors in adults. In conclusions the DPOAE-PCB correlation obtained at 72 months is similar to that at 45 months suggesting a permanent and stable ototoxic effect of the PCB exposure. The lack of statistical significance of the PCB-PTA correlation suggests that DPOAEs are sensitive biomarkers of cochlear damage.
