Researchers at The Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada have published the results of a study that determined that certain over-the-counter (OTC) ear wax softeners can cause inflammation and can damage the eardrum and inner ear.
Dr. Sam Daniel, principal investigator of the study and director of McGill Auditory Sciences Laboratory at The Montreal Children's found that patients were complaining that wax was blocking their ears and causing discomfort and sometimes hearing loss but that the effects of the OTC medication used to breakup the wax had not been thoroughly studied.
"Because some of these products are readily available to the public without a consultation with or prescription from a physician, it is important to make sure they are safe to use. Our study shows that in a well-established animal model, one such product, Cerumenex, is in fact, toxic to the cells of the ear," says Dr. Daniel.
The study specifically studied the effects of Cerumenex on hearing and its overall toxicity in the outer ear and changes in the inner ear.
"Harmful effects to many of the cells were observed after only one dose," says Dr. Melvin Schloss co-author and MCH Director of Otolaryngology. "We observed reduced hearing, severe inflammation, and lesions to the nerve cells."
"Overall, our findings suggest that Cerumenex has a toxic potential and it should be used with caution" stated Dr. Daniel.
[Source: Montreal Children's Hospital]
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