Neurobehavioral effects of occupational exposure to acrylonitrile in Chinese workers

We examined neurobehavioral outcomes of Chinese workers exposed to acrylonitrile, a potentially neurotoxic substance. We used the WHO-recommended neurobehavioral core test battery to assess the neurobehavioral functions of all study subjects. We compared 81 workers in an acrylonitrile-monomer plant and 94 workers in an acrylic fibers plant with 174 workers with no workplace acrylonitrile exposure. Acrylonitrile workers reported increased tension, depression, anger, fatigue and confusion on the Profile of Mood States. Performances in the Simple Reaction Time, Digit Span, Benton Visual Retention and Pursuit Aiming II were also poorer among exposed workers compared to unexposed workers. Some of these poor performances in tests were also related to exposure duration. Given the findings of our study and the limitations of neurobehavioral workplace testing, we found evidence of neuropsychological impairment induced by exposure to acrylonitrile. Further studies are needed to characterize potential neurotoxicity from chronic and acute exposures to acrylonitrile.