| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2019 | Volume
: 21
| Issue : 102 | Page : 189--193 |
Heavy metal blood levels and hearing loss in children of West Bengal, India
Babuji Santra1, Ranjan Raychowdhury2, Amitabha Roychoudhury2, Madhusnata De3
1 Department of Genetics, Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolkata, West Bengal; Department of General Surgery, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
2 Department of E.N.T Surgery, Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
3 Department of Genetics, Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Correspondence Address:
Babuji Santra
Department of Genetics, Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, 99 Sarat Bose Road, Kolkata-700026, West Bengal
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/nah.NAH_30_19
Introduction: Heavy metals are a major environmental threat in India and there are several health risks associated with it. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the blood levels of lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury and a sensoneurial hearing loss in children aged one to ten years. Method: Heavy metal blood levels were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, with appropriate quality control. Results: We found significantly higher blood lead concentration (mg/L; Mean ± SE) in children with a hearing loss (53.2 ± 4.4) compared to healthy controls (38.4 ± 4.7)/P = 0 0.03/. Conclusion: Children’s blood lead levels ≥ 50 mg/L compared to the levels < 10 mg/L were associated with increased probability of hearing loss (OR, 48.8; 95% CI, 41.9–55.6). The differences in the blood levels of cadmium, arsenic, and mercury between the children with a hearing loss and controls were statistically insignificant (P > 0.05).
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