title: Risk of neuropsychiatric disability among painters in the United States.
abstract: Scandinavian studies have suggested that working with solvents is associated with chronic neuropsychiatric disease. In the United States the Social Security Administration's records of white male recipients of disability compensation were used in a case-referent study on this topic. The cases were defined as men with any one of several neuropsychiatric diseases, and the referents as men with other disabling conditions. The men were considered exposed if they had worked as a painter prior to disability and unexposed if they had worked as a bricklayer. A job-exposure matrix verified the painters' potential exposure to solvents and the bricklayers' lack of potential exposure. The painters had a significant excess of neuropsychiatric disability [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.42, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.04-1.94]. Construction painters had an excess of neuropsychiatric disability [OR 1.47 (95% CI 1.07-2.02)] in contrast to spray painters [OR 0.77 (95% CI 0.38-1.54)]. The limitations of the data are discussed, including potential diagnosis bias and exposure misclassification.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surveillance, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Brackbill
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maizlish
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fischbach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010150:Paint / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012997:Solvents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents