title: Dose-related subclinical neurobehavioral effects of chronic exposure to low levels of organic solvents.
abstract: One hundred eight-seven workers (mean age +/- SD; 42 +/- 8.8 years) in two paint manufacturing plants were examined to determine if sustained low-level exposure to mixed organic solvents resulted in the painters' syndrome (a psycho-organic syndrome). The test battery consisted of a medical and occupational questionnaire, the Present State Examination, the Zung Depression Scale, the Scandinavian Questionnaire 16, a neuropsychological battery, and vibration thresholds. Solvent exposure, expressed as total hydrocarbon of combined selected solvents, was quantitated using 13-15 years of personal breathing zone samplings. Linear regression analysis controlling for several confounding variables demonstrated significant correlations between increasing exposure to mixed organic solvents and neurobehavioral performance for vibration threshold and several neuropsychological tests. Dose-related effects of chronic solvent exposure on neurobehavioral outcomes (all subclinical) were shown, but "typical" symptoms characteristic of the painter's syndrome were not found.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bleecker
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Bolla
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agnew
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009440:Neurasthenia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000379:methods; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010150:Paint; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D012997:Solvents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents