The Risk of Developing Tinnitus and Air Pollution Exposure

• Published in: Atmosphere Vol. 16; no. 5; p. 618
• Main Authors: Lai, Po-Yu, Lee, Chang-Yin, Chang, Kuang-Hsi, Chang, Yu-Kang, Hsu, Yi-Chao, Chiu, Ing-Ming, Tsai, Stella Chin-Shaw, Cho, Der-Yang, Lin, Cheng-Li, Lin, Tsung-Hsing, Chuang, Wu-Lung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.05.2025
• Subjects: Air monitoring; Air pollution; Air quality; Alcohol abuse; Asthma; Chronic illnesses; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Environmental aspects; Environmental protection; Environmental risk; Exposure; Health aspects; Humidity; Medical records; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Nitrogen dioxide; Osteoporosis; Outdoor air quality; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Pollutants; Pollution levels; Public health; Risk factors; Sulfur dioxide; Suspended particulate matter; Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency; Taiwan National Health Research Database; Tinnitus; Urbanization; Taiwan
• ISSN: 2073-4433; 2073-4433
• DOI: 10.3390/atmos16050618

(1) Background: The role of air pollutants as risk factors for tinnitus remains unclear. To address this gap in research, we conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study in Taiwan by integrating patients’ clinical data with daily air quality data to evaluate the environmental risk factors associated with tinnitus. (2) Methods: The Taiwan National Health Research Database (NHIRD) includes medical records for nearly all residents of Taiwan. To assess pollution levels, we used daily air quality data from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency regarding SO2, CO, NO, NOX, and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). We merged the NHIRD data with air quality information based on the residents’ locations and the positions of air quality monitoring stations. Pollutant levels were then categorized into quartiles (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4). (3) Results: This study included 284,318 subjects. After controlling for covariates, the adjusted HR (95 CI%) for tinnitus increased with increasing SO2, CO, NO, NOX, PM2.5, and PM10 exposure levels, specifically from 1.24 (95 CI% = 1.18, 1.30) to 1.35 (95 CI% = 1.28–1.41); from 1.15 (95 CI% = 1.09, 1.21) to 1.90 (95 CI% = 1.81, 2.00); from 0.86 (95 CI% = 0.82, 0.91) to 1.69 (95 CI% = 1.62, 1.77); from 1.62 (95 CI% = 1.54, 1.71) to 1.69 (95 CI% = 1.60, 1.77); from 0.16 (95 CI% = 0.15, 0.18) to 2.70 (95 CI% = 2.57, 2.84); and from 2.53 (95 CI% = 2.38, 2.69) to 3.58 (95 CI% = 3.39, 3.78), respectively, compared to the Q1 concentrations for all air pollutants. (4) Conclusions: During the 15-year follow-up period, we found a significant positive correlation between air pollutant exposure and the risk of tinnitus.