Neurocognitive effects in welders exposed to aluminium.
OBJECTIVE
Various authors who studied the effects of aluminium (Al) exposure on the neurocognitive system in the last 30 years have reached different and often contradictory conclusions. The aim of this study is to help clarify the effects that the metal causes on cognitive ability in a group of naval welders exposed to Al.


METHODS
The study was performed on a sample of 86 male Al welders in a shipyard in Messina. The average value of environmental Al, recorded in the workplace, was 19.5 mg/m(3). The blood levels of Al, zinc, manganese, lead and chromium were monitored in all the subjects. The reagents used for the neuropsychic study were the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), the Colour Word Test or Stroop Test and the Test of Attention Matrixes. The results were compared with those obtained in a similar control group not exposed to Al and with an Al-b value of 6.93 g/l.


RESULTS
For all the mental reagents used, the reply is obtained in the sample of exposed subjects showed decreased cognitive response with regard to attention and memory performance. The comparison between the individual tests showed greater sensitivity of performance studied using the WMS and the Stroop Test compared with the Test of Attention Matrixes. The alterations encountered in the cognitive functions studied increased proportionally to time of exposure and quantity of metal absorbed.


CONCLUSIONS
The study confirmed that occupational exposure to Al causes alteration in cognitive responses that are more evident in complex functions.
1Dipartimento di Medicina Sociale del Territorio Sez, Medicina del Lavoro, Università degli Studi di Messina, Valeria, Messina, Italy.
Concetto Mario
CM
Giorgianni
Graziella
G
D'Arrigo
Renato
R
Brecciaroli
Adriana
A
Abbate
Giovanna
G
Spatari
Maria Antonietta
MA
Tringali
Silvia
S
Gangemi
Annamaria
A
De Luca
D000328:Adult; D000535:Aluminum / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*; D000075322:Heavy Metal Poisoning; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D014896:Welding
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D000535:Aluminum