Neuropsychological findings in a non-clinical sample of workers exposed to solvents

The risk of long-term damage to the CNS after exposure to mixed solvents in work environments is controversial. Thirty-six workers were studied who had been exposed to organic solvents for more than 10 years (mean 24.5 years) in a working environment. The workers and unexposed controls were studied with a battery of neuropsychological and cognitive tests. Significant group differences were observed for the Wechsler adult intelligence scale (WAIS) digit span and symbol digit substitution, and on paired associate learning and continuous word recognition. The results suggest that long-term work-related exposure to organic solvents may have chronic toxic effects.