Neurobehavioral effects in occupational chemical exposure

Neurobehavioral effects in 30 female workers (aged 18-41, mean 25.6) exposed to an average of 341 mg/m3 (SD 100) toluene for an average of 5.7 years (SD 3.3) compared with 30 matched controls (aged 18-48, mean 25.1), 24 male workers (aged 18-32, mean 24.7) exposed to 268 mg/m3 (SD 185) toluene equivalent of mixed solvent (82.2% toluene, 12.3% ethyl acetate, and 5.5% methyl ethyl ketone) for 2.3 years (SD 3.0) compared with 24 matched controls (aged 17-31, mean 24.3), and 94 dentists (aged 24-49, mean 31.7) exposed to 0.017 mg/m3 (SD 0.009) of elemental mercury for 7.4 years (SD 5.3) compared with 54 referents (aged 23-50, mean 33.6) were studied. The Z score (made up of Digit Span, Symbols Digit, and Grooved Peg Board) for the workers exposed to toluene was 0.79, for workers exposed to mixed solvents was 0.38, and for the dentists exposed to mercury was 0.42. The Z score for each group of exposed subjects was statistically poorer than that for its controls. Neurobehavioral performance was statistically related to exposure intensity for the toluene-exposed workers and to years of exposure or dose (exposure intensity x years of exposure) for mixed solvent- and mercury-exposed subjects. The type of chemical species and pattern of exposure appear to influence whether the adverse effects will be cumulative.