The Adverse Effects of Heavy Metals with and without Noise Exposure on the Human Peripheral and Central Auditory System: A Literature Review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative literature review synthesizing observational human studies without systematic meta-analysis
PubMed 27941700 · doi:10.3390/ijerph13121223
What was done
Authors conducted a literature review of PubMed and Medline to evaluate the adverse effects of heavy metal exposure, with and without concurrent noise exposure, on the human peripheral and central auditory system. The review identified and analyzed 49 articles meeting inclusion criteria.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative values or statistical metrics. Qualitatively, no human evidence was identified for manganese ototoxicity. Contradictory findings were reported for arsenic, lead, mercury, and potential heavy metal-noise interactions. All included studies evaluating cadmium and heavy metal mixtures reported induced auditory dysfunction. Most identified studies focused on lead, with some reporting peripheral and central auditory dysfunction.
Why it matters
It consolidates human evidence on heavy metals as ototoxic agents, highlighting cadmium and chemical mixtures as potential occupational hazards alongside noise exposure.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative effect sizes or meta-analytic pooling. The underlying evidence base is characterized by contradictory results across multiple metals and a complete absence of human data for manganese.
Cited by
- supports Heavy metals such as lead and mercury are toxic to neurons in the ear as well as other neurons in the body.