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Occupational styrene exposure and acquired dyschromatopsia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Ariel R Choi1,2, Joseph M Braun3, George D Papandonatos4
1Program in Liberal Medical Education, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
Background:
Styrene is a chemical used in the manufacture of plastic-based products worldwide. We systematically reviewed eligible studies of occupational styrene-induced dyschromatopsia, qualitatively synthesizing their findings and estimating the exposure effect through meta-analysis.
Methods:
PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were queried for eligible studies. Using a random effects model, we compared measures of dyschromatopsia between exposed and non-exposed workers to calculate the standardized mean difference (Hedges'g). We also assessed between-study heterogeneity and publication bias.
Results:
Styrene-exposed subjects demonstrated poorer color vision than did the non-exposed (Hedges' g = 0.56; 95%CI: 0.37, 0.76; P < 0.0001). A non-significant Cochran's Q test result (Q = 23.2; P = 0.171) and an I2 of 32.2% (0.0%, 69.9%) indicated low-to-moderate between-study heterogeneity. Funnel plot and trim-and-fill analyses suggested publication bias.
Conclusions:
This review confirms the hypothesis of occupational styrene-induced dyschromatopsia, suggesting a modest effect size with mild heterogeneity between studies.
