The study of the effect of lead on hearing in women and children living in a town polluted with lead, revealed a lowering of the hearing threshold among the investigated groups. The women aged 20–50 years and children aged 7–12 years, never left the town. The lead concentration in the environment exceeded by 50–100 times normal values (0.0007 mg/m 3 /24 h). The subjects with a otological history were excluded from the study. The exposed groups comprised 77 women, 70 men (of the same age as women) and 152 children. The reference groups – 75 women and 150 children of the same age as the exposed ones – were selected from a non–polluted town, with an identical population density and car traffic. All groups were tested by air and bone conducted audiometry in a sound insulated chamber. The blood lead levels were used as exposure indicators. The biochemical tests performed in the exposed women and men revealed a blood lead level between 15 and 40 mg/dl. Blood lead levels were higher among children (between 20 and 70 mg/dl) because lead is more readily absorbed by the child organisms. The blood lead levels of both reference groups were under 15 mg/dl. The results showed a statistically significant decrease of the hearing threshold to 6 and 8 kHz in the exposed, as compared to the non-exposed women. No difference between lead-exposed women and men was found contrary to the noise exposure effect on sex – higher hearing loss in men. The mean magnitude of hearing threshold difference between the exposed and non-exposed women (10 and 9 dB for 6 and 8 kHz) was almost by 5 dB better than the values in children (15 and 14 dB for 6 and 8 kHz).

        Key words: lead, children, women, hearing loss