A Potential New Way to Prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: Trapping Excess Zinc | Hacker News Reader

A Potential New Way to Prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: Trapping Excess Zinc

directorsblog.nih.gov

2 pointsgardenfelder5 comments

>Zinc in the inner ear is concentrated in stereocilia essential for hearing, but a new study finds that loud sounds cause damaging dysregulation of the essential mineral that can lead to noise-induced hearing loss.

Would tinnitus be associate with too little/much zinc?

I have tinnitus pretty bad - but I dont go to loud concerts, and when I do, I wear ear-plugs, so I am sure its not from loud noises...

I have some zinc tablets I dont take... Ill have to take them and see if it affects the ringing in my ears constantly.

This "The team found that noise-induced hearing loss, which affects millions of Americans, stems from cellular damage in the inner ear that is associated with an excess of free-floating zinc — a mineral that is essential for proper cellular function and hearing." seems to say that it is too much, not too little zinc and it is the zinc that is free floating in the hearing system, not bound to other molecules. The potential treatment is some molecule that can get into the inner ear without causing damage and which will bind with the free zinc. They wonder whether this might reduce or eliminate the symptoms. My question is what are some of the candidate molecules that seem of low risk and which might do this? The full paper is here: https://www.pitt.edu/pittwire/features-articles/hearing-loss....

I think that nano-modules of a carbon based aerogel for zinc absorbtion in a aquous fluid is the fixer... but more like - draing the fluid, apply the absorbant, replace fluid -- you dont want it pulling too much zinc from ear, mayhaps:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S03043...

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>> "Removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions using carbon aerogel as an adsorbent"

>>>&Due to its remarkable resistant to atmospheric corrosion, zinc is commonly used to protect iron from rusting, in the process called galvanization. Zinc is widely used for the manufacturing of zinc white and several useful alloys such as brass, German silver, delta metal, for the preparation of gold and silver in the cyanide method, for the desilverization of lead in Parks process and as an anode material in galvanic cells.

>>Various zinc salts are used industrially in wood preservatives, catalysts, photographic paper, accelerators for rubber vulcanisation, ceramics, textiles, fertilizers, pigments, steel production and batteries [24]. Zinc toxicity from excessive ingestion is uncommon but causes gastrointestinal distress and diarrhoea.*

It would seem that if one may be in a 'soluable' regular contact with such items as galvanized metals (such as sheet workers, roofers, construction) in addition to billions of other trades may lead to increase Zinc absorbtion...

In the higher toxicities mentioned above - organ difficulties... but at lower, regular does over time could result in too much free zinc in the body.

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(f-ton of studies about using aerogels in absorbtion of zinc - so if you could target the inner ear..

Zinc deficient cells aren't functioning during the noise and thus don't get damaged? Like being switched off can protect electronics from EMP spikes?

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