Effects of long-term low-level solvent exposure on cognitive function

Abstract

TurkeyE ects of long-term low-level solvent exposure on cognitive function Abstract Purpose: e e ects of long-term low-level exposures to solvents on cognitive function were investigated.Methods: A total of 389 workers at a gun factory, those exposed to solvents (n=193) and those that were not exposed to solvents during work (n=196), were included. All the workers were given a questionnaire. Cognitive function was evaluated by Mini-mental Status Examination (MMSE) and psychological status was assessed by Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Scale. Results:No di erences were found in the MMSE and HAD scores between solventexposed workers and control workers (p>0.05). In the workers who had used a mask for a longer time, orientation scores were lower. Daytime sleepiness was related to lower recall scores.. Le -handed workers had higher total HAD scores than right-handed workers.Conclusions: Long-term low-level exposure to solvents did not a ect cognitive function in the workers, according to their MMSE scores. Duration of solvent exposure was also not related to MMSE Scores. Short sleep duration and daytime sleepiness may negatively a ect cognitive function.

Relationship between Neurocognitive Performance and Body Composition of Men and Women Exposed to Organic Solvents

“…Exposed men compared to the non-exposed men presented a signifi cantly lower performance in the TMT-A, ROCF-Copy and ROCF-Recall tests, except for the TMT-B (Tables 1 and 2). This result was expected, since similar fi ndings were found by other studies carried out with men (Saygun et al, 2012;Song et al, 2015;Thetkathuek et al, 2015).…”

“…In recent years, the number of women hired as gas station attendants has increased in most developing countries and in other industrial activities in Western European countries (Ernstgård, Gullstrand, Löf, & Johanson, 2002). However, most research has been carried out with men (Saygun et al, 2012;Song, Yu, & Lao, 2015;Thetkathuek, Jaidee, Saowakhontha, & Ekburanawat, 2015) or male animals (Beasley, Evansky, & Bushnell, 2012;Zhong et al, 2013), probably because males are still the majority in this type of activity (Vahter et al, 2007), or due to the historical belief that jobs in hazardous environments, including those involving solvents, are restricted to men (Mergler, 2012). These results are eventually generalized to women (Ernstgård et al, 2002) who are exposed to the same tolerance limits based on studies carried out with males (Kawai, Takeuchi, & Ikeda, 2015).…”

“…This may be partly justifi ed because according to Lotti et al (2015), cognitive impairments related to neurotoxic effects are not well characterized, and some studies have found no differences. For example, Saygun et al (2012) identifi ed no differences in performance between exposed and non-exposed men in relation to spatial orientation, short-term recall, attention and language evaluated by the Mini Mental State Examination.…”

Organic solvent exposure and depressive symptoms among licensed pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study

“…The current study, however, found several associations between more specific solvent use measures and depressive symptoms among members of an all-farming sample. Although some studies in other industries have found null effects (Satoh et al 1996; Saygun et al 2012), there is evidence supporting associations between solvent exposure and impaired mental health as measured by a variety of scales (Bowler et al 2001; Escalona et al 1995; Nordling Nilson et al 2010). …”

“…However, these studies of neurological effects, particularly of mood and depressive symptoms, among non-agricultural populations have shown inconsistent results (Bowler et al 2001; Escalona et al 1995; Nordling Nilson et al 2010; Satoh et al 1996; Saygun et al 2012). …”