Black urban high school students have higher self-esteem, greater racial tolerance than students in other ethnic groups.

The production and manufacture of microelectronic components, carried out primarily by women workers, require extensive use of organic solvents. Affective and personality disturbances frequently have been associated with organic solvent toxicity. A group of women, former microelectronics workers (N = 70), primarily of Hispanic origin (77.1%) but raised in the United States, were evaluated for affective and personality disturbance with the MMPI. Profiles were analyzed, and diagnostic classification was performed blind. Results showed that (1) 85.7% of the profiles indicated abnormally high clinical elevations; and (2) MMPI profile classification revealed four clinical diagnostic groups: somatoform (24.3%), depression (15.7%), anxiety (28.6%), and psychotic (14.3%). These findings indicate significant psychopathology among these women, who formerly had worked in a microelectronics plant. The patterns of impairment present similarities to previous reports of organic solvent toxicity.

An epidemiological health study compared the health status of residents of a town exposed to an accidental Catacarb chemical release from an adjacent oil refinery, with the health status of demographically similar residents of an unexposed town in the region. Few studies of Catacarb's effects on humans exist; however, animal studies have shown it to be a respiratory, gastro-intestinal, dermatological and visual irritant. As part of the study, health questionnaires assessing pre-and post exposure symptoms, illnesses and medication use were mailed to residents in both towns. Medication use is sometimes reported to be a more objective and reliable measure of health outcomes 1) . The current paper compared medication use of exposed and unexposed residents. Significant increases after exposure were found in the use of the following medications: antacid, asthma medication, cough and cold medication, eye medication, headache medication and sleep medication. These increases were consistent with reported symptoms, albeit of greater magnitude; no increase in medication use for other illnesses was reported. Medication use in this sample was consistent with patients' report of symptoms and may be a better measure of outcome.

The chronic, long-term effects from exposure to many frequently used pesticides have yet to be fully documented. Migrant Hispanic farm workers who are the frequent victims of such exposures are rarely studied. A neuropsychological test battery was administered to 21 migrant farm workers acutely exposed to Phosdrin, Lannate and Maneb on two occasions, and to 11 controls matched for age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Results revealed that two years after the pesticide exposures, the exposed group was significantly more impaired than controls on tests of psychomotor speed, dexterity, and visuospatial memory. Disturbing emotional symptoms were reported with significantly greater frequency by the exposed group in comparison to controls. Results are consistent with the previously reported constellation of symptoms and neuropsychological deficits associated with pesticide exposure.

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