Reduction in the Age-Adjusted Prevalence of Hearing Impairment in the United States

In Reply We thank Dr Fuller-Thomson for her suggestion. Prior publications have found associations between hearing impairment (HI) and blood lead levels (BLL) and cadmium. If associations exist, it is unknown what proportion of HI in the population may be attributable to lead and/or cadmium or other heavy metals. Heavy metal exposures co-occur with other factors that increase HI risk, including noisy occupations (eg, manufacturing, construction, transportation), smoking, and lower socioeconomic status, hence BLL could be a proxy for other characteristics.

http://ift.tt/2sE2VVA