Cacosmia and neurobehavioral dysfunction associated with occupational exposure to mixtures of organic solvents

This study examined the interrelationships among occupational exposure to mixtures of organic solvents, neurobehavioral functioning, and complaints of cacosmia. The latter was defined as nausea, headaches, and subjective distress in individuals exposed to neutral environmental odors. The authors administered a battery of cognitive tests to men with and without a history of solvent exposure and found exposed workers to be impaired across a wide range of cognitive domains. Multiple regression analyses of exposed workers demonstrated a highly significant relationship between a history of cacosmia and performance decrements on measures of learning and memory.