Iodine contents (ICS) in hairs of 381 children with perceptive nerve deafness (PND) and in table salt were determined in Yancheng prefecture and Shuyang county of Jiangsu province, east China from 1995 to 1996. The results showed that the ICS in hairs of deaf children were much lower than that of healthy children (P < 0.01). And the ICS in table salt in these regions were punder the standard content officially published. Presumably, iodine deficiency (ID) in these regions may be one of the major factors causing PND.