Hydrogen Gas Protects Hearing from Noise and Carbon Monoxide Damage
- Authors
- Fereshte Bagheri, Akram Pourbakht, Ahmadreza Raisi, Mohammad Kamali, Mohammad Faridan
- Journal
- Health Scope
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.5812/jhealthscope.55353
- Study Type
- Guinea Pig
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Iran
- Health Condition
- Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
- Body System
- Auditory
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas might help protect guinea pigs' hearing from damage caused by being exposed to loud noise and carbon monoxide at the same time.
Key Finding
Guinea pigs that inhaled hydrogen gas while exposed to noise and carbon monoxide showed significantly less hearing damage than those exposed to noise and carbon monoxide alone, particularly at higher frequencies.
Summary
Researchers exposed guinea pigs to noise and carbon monoxide together—a combination that can happen in some workplaces—and measured how this affected their hearing. When guinea pigs breathed in hydrogen gas along with the noise and carbon monoxide exposure, their hearing damage was reduced compared to animals that didn't receive hydrogen, especially at higher sound frequencies. The researchers believe hydrogen may work by reducing harmful molecules called free radicals that damage hearing structures.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen inhalation may protect against hearing loss from combined noise and carbon monoxide exposure. However, this was only tested in guinea pigs over a short timeframe, so it's unclear whether these results would apply to humans or what dose and duration would be needed. More research, including human studies, would be necessary before drawing conclusions about practical use in occupational settings.
Abstract
Background: People might simultaneously be exposed to noise and carbon monoxide in occupational settings. The previous studies revealed that the inhalation of molecular hydrogen (H2) exerts some healing effects on multiple diseases including hearing loss. Objectives: The levels of free radicals have been shown to increase due to the exposure to noise plus carbon monoxide. This study examined the possible protective effects of hydrogen inhalation following simultaneous exposure to noise and carbon monoxide in Guinea pigs. Methods: Twelve Guinea pigs were randomly divided into two different groups: (1) Exposed to noise plus carbon monoxide and (2) exposed to noise plus carbon monoxide along with the inhalation of hydrogen. Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) at different frequencies of 2, 4, 8, and 16 kHz were measured before and immediately after the exposure. Results: The ABR thresholds measured immediately after the simultaneous exposure to noise and carbon monoxide significantly increased at all frequencies in group 1 while in group 2, the ABR thresholds measured immediately after the inhalation of hydrogen significantly reduced at 4, 8, and 16 kHz (P values < 0.05). Conclusions: This finding indicates that there is a protective effect associated with the inhalation of 2% hydrogen on the development of hearing loss after the simultaneous exposure to noise and carbon monoxide and this effect was fairly significant at higher frequencies.