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A large population-based study has found an association between long-term air pollution exposure and higher odds of experiencing tinnitus, with the strongest effect among people who also have a higher genetic susceptibility to the condition. The study was published in 2026 in the Journal of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
Researchers analyzed data from 79,277 adults in the UK Biobank who had tinnitus, environmental exposure, and genetic information available. They examined various pollutants, which included fine and coarse particulate matter and nitrogen-based pollutants, and combined them into a composite air pollution score. They also calculated a genetic risk score based on six genetic variants associated with tinnitus.
Of the participants, 10,501 (about 13 percent) reported tinnitus. Each step up in the composite air pollution score was associated with roughly 6 percent higher odds of current tinnitus. The causation seemed to hold, even after adjusting for factors including workplace noise, hearing difficulty, and other health and lifestyle variables. The strongest signal appeared for constant tinnitus, where a combination of high pollution exposure and high genetic risk was associated with 55 percent higher odds.
Several caveats apply. This is an observational study, which can identify associations but cannot establish that air pollution causes tinnitus. The findings for tinnitus severity were less consistent than those for whether tinnitus was present at all. The research was conducted in a single large cohort in the United Kingdom, and the biological pathways that might connect air pollution to tinnitus are not yet established.
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