People who live in areas with a lot of air pollutants such as fine dust are at a higher risk of hearing loss, a study has found.



Professor Yunhyeong Choi's research team from the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University Gil Hospital announced today (15th) that they confirmed this fact by analyzing 15,51 adults who participated in the 2010-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.



The research team collected the concentrations of air pollutants such as fine dust (PM10), nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide in the area where they lived up to three years before the hearing test and analyzed the relationship between exposure and hearing loss.



Hearing loss was defined as 25 dB above the average hearing threshold.



Normal hearing is 'below the average hearing threshold of 25 dB', and beyond this threshold, hearing loss is diagnosed.



As a result, prolonged exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of hearing loss.



The risk of hearing loss in the group exposed to fine dust (PM10) higher than the domestic air environment standard (50㎍/㎥) for 3 years before the hearing test was 20% higher than that in the group that did not.



Groups exposed to nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide above the threshold showed a similar trend.



This is a comparison when controlling for external factors such as age, noise exposure, underlying medical conditions, and other lifestyle and environment that cause hearing loss.



Exposure to air pollution raises levels of oxidative stress in the body, which reduces blood flow in the cochlea, which in turn kills cells in the inner ear, leading to hearing loss, the team explained.



The cochlea is the auditory organ in the inner ear, the innermost part of the ear, and damage to this organ can result in hearing loss.



Professor Choi said, "It is estimated that air pollutants such as fine dust increase oxidative stress in the body, and the cochlea degenerates and affects hearing loss. It is meaningful to reveal.”



The research results were published in 'Science of the Total Environment', an international academic journal in the field of environment.



(Photo = Yonhap News)