Occupational Exposure to Solvents and Cognitive Performance in the GAZEL Cohort: Preliminary Results

Abstract

Background: The impact of occupational exposure to solvents on cognitive ageing remains unclear. We examined whether long-term occupational exposure is associated with poor cognitive performance in late midlife. Methods: Participants in the GAZEL cohort, set up in 1989, are employees of the French national electricity and gas company. Data on the working environment were used to create measures of cumulative exposures to solvents using a job-exposure matrix. In 2002–2004, cognitive performance was assessed using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) and the Mini Mental State Examination in 5,242 participants (aged 55–65 years). Results: In cross-sectional analysis using multiple logistic regression, there was a greater risk of poor cognitive performance (DSST score <25th percentile) among those with high exposure to benzene (OR = 1.58; 95% CI 1.31–1.90) and the grouped categories of chlorinated (OR = 1.39; 95% CI 1.3–2.3), aromatic (OR = 1.76; 95% CI 1.08–2.87), and petroleum solvents (OR = 1.50; 95% CI 1.23–1.81). Conclusions: These results suggest that occupational exposures to solvents may be associated later in life with cognitive impairment, even after taking into account the effects of education, employment grade, and numerous health factors.

Workplace Exposures and Cognitive Function During Adulthood

“…Independent of occupational complexity, greater exposure to physical hazards in the workplace was associated with poorer episodic memory and executive function. These results are consistent with evidence from industrial hygiene research suggesting that greater exposure to chemicals like lead, 1 organophosphates 2 and solvents 3,4 are associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. They are also consistent with studies documenting that exposure to other physical hazards, like particular types of noise, 5,6 may undermine cognitive function.…”

“…There is compelling evidence that chronic occupational exposure to lead is associated with poorer cognitive function later in life. 1 Likewise, there is a substantial body of research implicating organophosphates, 2 various solvents, 3,4 and particular types of noise 5,6 result in poorer cognitive outcomes including cognitive disorders. An increasing body of research questions whether chronic exposure to intellectual, social, and interpersonal agents in the workplace shape adult trajectories of cognitive change.…”

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

“…ese results suggest that occupational exposures to solvents may be associated later in life with cognitive impairment, even a er taking into account the e ects of education, employment grade, and numerous health factors [66]. Chronic low-level occupational exposure to organic solvents may have a negative impact on cognitive and psychological functioning [9,23,67].…”

“…Berr et al [66] investigated the impact of occupational exposure to solvents of TDI, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, dichloromethane, trichloroethane and benzene on cognitive ageing by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) and the MMSE in 5242 participants (aged 55-65 years). ese results suggest that occupational exposures to solvents may be associated later in life with cognitive impairment, even a er taking into account the e ects of education, employment grade, and numerous health factors [66].…”

Cinco años de abstinencia de todo ácido: La experiencia del grabado no tóxico en la Escuela de Artes Plásticas de la Universidad de Costa Rica

“…), que se tornan tan frecuentes que su presencia se asume como normal, por lo no se cuestiona su peligrosidad y son empleados indiscriminadamente, ya sea para limpiar utensilios y mesas de trabajo o incluso para quitarse la tinta de las manos. Pero, independientemente de lo familiar que sean en nuestro entorno de trabajo, debemos tener presente que se trata de sustancias nocivas, solo que los efectos adversos se presentan después de muchos años de exposición e incluyen desde problemas de piel crónicos, alteraciones cromosómicas, hasta daños al sistema nervioso central, leucemias y otros tipos de cáncer, como claman los investigadores biomédicos, pues la literatura científica es rica en reportes que documentan los efectos tóxicos de la exposición a estas sustancias, aún en el ambiente doméstico (Hooiveld, Haveman, Roskes, Bretveld, Burstyn y Roeleveld, 2006;Scélo, Metayer, Zhang, Wiemels, Aldrich, Selvin, Month, Smith y Buffler, 2009;Wang, Zhang, Lan, Holford, Leaderer, Zahm, Boyle, Dosemeci, Rothman, Zhu, Qin, Zheng, 2009;Berr, Vercambre, Bonenfant, Singh-Manoux, Zins, y Goldberg, 2010).…”