I knew carbon monoxide was bad for your health and in large quantities can kill you. But I never knew it was bad for your hearing too. Two researchers from the University of Montreal have conducted a long-term study of workers in industries where high noise levels and high levels of carbon monoxide are common. The findings, presented this week at the annual conference of the Acoustical Society of America, indicate that high exposure to carbon monoxide can accelerate the onset of age-related and noise-related hearing loss. Researchers surveyed workers including firefighters, miners, foundry workers, welders, garage mechanics, industrial mechanics, truckers, diesel engine operators, and forklift operators and found that prolonged exposure dramatically increases the instances of noise-related hearing loss, especially among those with 20-29 years on the job, compared to those in similar noisy environments with lower levels of carbon monoxide. It makes me wonder what other environmental toxins may have had something to do with my auto-immune related hearing loss.