Arsenic level in toenails is associated with hearing loss in humans

Li, Xiang; Ohgami, Nobutaka; Yajima, Ichiro; Xu, Hongbing; Iida, Machiko; Oshino, Reina; Ninomiya, H.; Shen, Dan‐Dan; Ahsan, Nazmul; Akhand, Anwarul A.; Kato, Masashi

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198743

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Even if several recent studies analysed the use of nails as biomarkers of different minerals and nETE and to relate their concentration to some diseases risk such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, children obesity, hearing loss and acute promyelocytic leukaemia (Karatela et al, 2018;Chen et al, 2018;Li et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2018;Andrew et al, 2018;White et al, 2018). In the present study, no relation was found by between nETE fingernail, dietary exposure and thyroid cancer risk.…”

Section: Study Limitationscontrasting

confidence: 65%

Non-Essential Trace Elements Dietary Exposure in French Polynesia: Intake Assessment, Nail Bio Monitoring and Thyroid Cancer Risk

Zidane¹,

Ren²,

Xhaard³

et al. 2019

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev

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Background:In French Polynesia, thyroid cancer mortality and incidence is reported to be the highest in the world. Excessive levels of non-essential trace elements (nETE) in the body are associated with several types of cancer.Objective:The present study aims to provide quantitative information on food contamination by mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) in French Polynesia and its potential correlation with measurements performed in fingernails of Polynesians, and then to investigate the potential association between these nETE and different thyroid cancer risks. Methods:The study population included 229 interviewed cases and 373 interviewed controls We performed a descriptive analysis of Polynesian food and examined the association between thyroid cancer risk and daily intake levels of nETE and with fingernail nETE levels.Results:Hg contamination was mainly present in sea products, Pb contamination was present in almost all samples, Cd was detectable in starchy food and As was detectable in all sea products. No patient exceeded dietary contamination WHO limits for Pb, 2 participants exceeded it for Hg and 3 individuals (0.5%) for cadmium. In fingernail clippings, the most detectable pollutant was Pb (553 participants), then Hg (543 participants) then Cd (only in 130 participants). Thyroid cancer risk was increased more than 4 times by Pb daily intake in patients with a history of cancer in first-degree relatives than in ones without (p for interaction =0.01), and 2 times more in women with more than 3 pregnancies than in those with none or less (p for interaction =0.005); it was also increased following As intake by more than 30% in patients with a history of cancer in first-degree relatives than in ones without (p for interaction =0.05). Conclusion:Locally produced foods are not a source of nETE exposure in French Polynesia. Dieatry nETE exposure and fingernail nETE concentration are not associated to differentiated thyroid cancer risk. No correlation found between nETE dietary exposure and fingernail nETE concentration.

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Section: Study Limitationscontrasting

confidence: 65%

Non-Essential Trace Elements Dietary Exposure in French Polynesia: Intake Assessment, Nail Bio Monitoring and Thyroid Cancer Risk

Zidane¹,

Ren²,

Xhaard³

et al. 2019

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev

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“…In previous studies, levels of metal elements in blood samples 25 and urine samples 26 were shown to reflect the status of acute exposure to the metal elements, while nail and hair samples were used to evaluate the status of chronic exposure to the metal elements 27,28 . In our previous study, multivariate analysis showed that significant associations of arsenic levels in toenails with heating loss were at 4, 8 and 12 kHz, while a significant association of arsenic levels in hair with hearing loss was limited to 12 kHz 19 . Hearing levels at 4 kHz and 8 kHz are known to be important for daily conversation and examinations of noise-induced hearing loss and age-related loss, respectively, while 12 kHz is an extra-high frequency and hearing ability at 12 kHz is not necessary for daily communication in humans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Our method for hearing examination has been described and published elsewhere 15–19 . Briefly, we measured hearing levels by PTA at 1, 4, 8 and 12 kHz to determine the auditory threshold of subjects at each frequency.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hearing loss in humans drinking tube well water with high levels of iron in arsenic–polluted area

Ohgami

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Well water for drinking with increased levels of iron in arsenic-polluted areas has been reported worldwide. Oral exposure to arsenic has been shown to be associated with hearing loss, while there is no evidence for an association between excessive exposure to iron and hearing loss in humans. In this study, we determined iron and arsenic levels in biological samples and hearing levels by pure tone audiometry (PTA) in subjects in a control area and an arsenic-polluted area in Bangladesh. The iron level in well water in the arsenic-polluted area was significantly higher than that in piped supply water in the control area. Subjects in the polluted area (n = 109), who had higher iron and arsenic levels in hair and toenails than those in subjects in the control area (n = 36), had an increased risk of hearing loss at 8 kHz and 12 kHz after adjustments for age, gender, smoking and BMI. Significant associations of the exposure group with hearing loss at 8 kHz and 12 kHz remained after further adjustment for arsenic levels in toenails and hair. Thus, this pilot study showed that excessive exposure to iron via drinking water is a potential risk for hearing loss in humans.

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“…Multivariate analysis in our epidemiological study indicated that arsenic levels in toenails, but not those in urine, were significantly correlated with hearing levels at high frequencies (4 k Hz, 8 k Hz, and 12 k Hz) in 145 subjects aged 12-55 years in Bangladesh. Since our results in mice suggest that nail arsenic level could be an index for the arsenic level in inner ears, the level of arsenic in nails is a potential biomarker for hearing loss caused by an accumulation of arsenic in inner ears in humans [56].…”

Section: Assessments Of the Health Risks Of Arsenic For Hearingmentioning

confidence: 86%

Multidisciplinary approach to assess the toxicities of arsenic and barium in drinking water

Kato

Ohgami

Ohnuma³

et al. 2020

Environ Health Prev Med

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Well water could be a stable source of drinking water. Recently, the use of well water as drinking water has been encouraged in developing countries. However, many kinds of disorders caused by toxic elements in well drinking water have been reported. It is our urgent task to resolve the global issue of element-originating diseases. In this review article, our multidisciplinary approaches focusing on oncogenic toxicities and disturbances of sensory organs (skin and ear) induced by arsenic and barium are introduced. First, our environmental monitoring in developing countries in Asia showed elevated concentrations of arsenic and barium in well drinking water. Then our experimental studies in mice and our epidemiological studies in humans showed arsenic-mediated increased risks of hyperpigmented skin and hearing loss with partial elucidation of their mechanisms. Our experimental studies using cultured cells with focus on the expression and activity levels of intracellular signal transduction molecules such as c-SRC, c-RET, and oncogenic RET showed risks for malignant transformation and/or progression arose from arsenic and barium. Finally, our original hydrotalcite-like compound was proposed as a novel remediation system to effectively remove arsenic and barium from well drinking water. Hopefully, comprehensive studies consisting of (1) environmental monitoring, (2) health risk assessments, and (3) remediation will be expanded in the field of environmental health to prevent various disorders caused by environmental factors including toxic elements in drinking water.

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Arsenic level in toenails is associated with hearing loss in humans

Cited by 14 publications

References 42 publications

Non-Essential Trace Elements Dietary Exposure in French Polynesia: Intake Assessment, Nail Bio Monitoring and Thyroid Cancer Risk

Non-Essential Trace Elements Dietary Exposure in French Polynesia: Intake Assessment, Nail Bio Monitoring and Thyroid Cancer Risk

Hearing loss in humans drinking tube well water with high levels of iron in arsenic–polluted area

Multidisciplinary approach to assess the toxicities of arsenic and barium in drinking water

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