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Introduction Hearing loss in occupational exposure to a solvent mixture has been already reported; however, mixture in those reports did not contain ethylbenzene, a compound showing peripheral ototoxicity in animals exposed to high levels. In this work, we evaluated the auditory brainstem pathway in two samples of workers exposed to different levels of a solvent mixture where ethylbenzene was present, compared to a reference group. Material and methods Individual exposure levels for up to seven compounds were obtained in two groups: Exposed (n=21 gas station attendants, GS, and leather shoe factory workers, LS) and Non-exposed (n=21, administrative workers) all of them from the city of Leon Guanajuato, Mexico. The click-evoked auditory brainstem response test was performed in both groups. Results Toluene, n-hexane, acetone, ethylbenzene, xylene and methyl ethyl ketone exposure levels were higher in LS (p Conclusion Our results point out to a central affection in the auditory system caused by ethylbenzene in a dose response manner. Workers exposed to ethylbenzene levels far below the permissible exposure limit should be closely monitored for early ototoxicity effects. |
