title: The interaction between manganese exposure and alcohol on neurobehavioral outcomes in welders.
abstract: Neurobehavioral functions were studied in 137 welders exposed to the geometric mean (GM) air concentration of 214 μg/m(3) (range 1-3230) of manganese (Mn) based on the individual mean from two days of air sampling. Only 22 μg/m(3) (GM) was soluble in the artificial lung fluid Hatch solution. The welders were compared to 137 referents (turner/fitters) recruited from the same plants. The GM concentrations of Mn in whole blood (B-Mn) and urine (U-Mn) were 12.8 μg/L and 0.36 μg/g creatinine versus 8.0 μg/L and 0.07 μg/g creatinine in the referents. Alcohol consumption was assessed by measuring carbohydrate deficient transferrin in serum (sCDT). The welders had poorer performance than the referents on the Grooved Pegboard, Finger Tapping, Simple Reaction Time (SRT) and possibly the Maximum Frequency tests. They also reported more subjective symptoms. Welders with sCDT above the upper reference limit had substantially poorer performances on the Grooved Pegboard test, Finger Tapping test and SRT than welders with sCDT below this level. No effect of high sCDT was observed in the referents, indicating an interaction between high sCDT and exposure to Mn for these tests. Self-reported alcohol consumption had no impact on these neurobehavioral test results. A statistically significant difference in the SRT and Grooved Pegboard test results remained after excluding all subjects with sCDT above the normal level, but the difference in test scores between the groups was smaller. These welders also reported more subjective symptoms than the referents. The results suggest that sCDT should be measured in neurobehavioral studies of occupationally Mn exposed populations for a more precise estimation of high alcohol consumption.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 8149 Dep, N-0033 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: dag.ellingsen@stami.no.
authors.forename: Dag G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Ellingsen
authors.affiliation: Northwest Public Health Research Centre, St. Petersburg 191036, Russia.
authors.forename: Zarina
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kusraeva
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 8149 Dep, N-0033 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bast-Pettersen
authors.affiliation: Northwest Public Health Research Centre, St. Petersburg 191036, Russia.
authors.forename: Evgenij
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zibarev
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 8149 Dep, N-0033 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Maxim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chashchin
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 8149 Dep, N-0033 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Yngvar
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Thomassen
authors.affiliation: Northwest Public Health Research Centre, St. Petersburg 191036, Russia.
authors.forename: Valery
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chashchin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000652:urine; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D020149:Manganese Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000652:urine; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D014896:Welding; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014168:Transferrin; D008345:Manganese; D003404:Creatinine
keywords: Alcohol; Carbohydrate deficient transferrin; Interaction; Manganese; Neurobehavioral tests; Welders