The neurobehavioural consequences of petrol (gasoline) sniffing

Cairney, Sheree

doi:10.1016/s0149-7634(01)00040-9

Cited by 75 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Relatively high exposure to gasoline is known to damage the central nervous system. Sniffing gasoline vapors is associated with ataxia, tremor and encephalopathic syndrome (Burbacher, 1993;Cairney et al, 2002). Exposure to gasoline (leaded and unleaded gasoline) among filling station attendants has been associated with effects on intellectual capacity, psychomotor and visuomotor function, immediate and delayed memory and increased mortality from mental disorders (Schwartz, 1987;Kumar et al, 1988;Burbacher, 1993;Ritchie et al, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal exposure to benzene from fuel emissions among commercial fishers: comparison of two-stroke, four-stroke and diesel engines

Kirrane

Loomis

Egeghy

et al. 2006

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Commercial fishers are exposed to unburned hydrocarbon vapors and combustion products present in the emissions from their boat engines. The objective of this study was to measure personal exposure to benzene as a marker of fuel exposure, and to predict exposure levels across categories of carbureted two-stroke, four-stroke and diesel engines. A self-monitoring approach, employing passive monitors, was used to obtain measurements of personal exposure to benzene over time. Mixed-effect linear regression models were used to predict exposure levels, identify significant effects and determine restricted maximum likelihood estimates for within-and between-person variance components. Significant fixed effects for engine type and refueling a car or truck were identified. After controlling for refueling, predicted benzene exposure levels to fishers on boats equipped with two-stroke, four-stroke and diesel engines were 58.4, 38.9 and 15.7 mg/m 3 , respectively. The logged within-person variance component was 1.43, larger than the between-person variance component of 1.13, indicating that the total variation may be attributable to monitor placement, environmental conditions and other factors that change over time as well as differences between individual work practices. The health consequences of exposure to marine engine emissions are not known. The predicted levels are well below those at which health effects have been attributed, however.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal exposure to benzene from fuel emissions among commercial fishers: comparison of two-stroke, four-stroke and diesel engines

Kirrane

Loomis

Egeghy

et al. 2006

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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“…Learning and memory impairments are common among people chronically exposed to low solvent concentrations at work [18,66] or to high concentrations in order to experience psychoactive effects [22,66]. In preclinical studies, acute and chronic toluene exposure through inhalation or via IP results in impaired short-term memory in the object recognition test in mice [38,49,62] and rats [31].…”

Section: Effects On Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This suggests that attention processes are more sensitive than emotional reactions to toluene's prenatal effects. Deleterious effects on learning and memory have been associated with changes in the expression of NMDA receptor subunits NR1 and NR2 mRNA in the hippocampus of mice [18,62], inhibition of hippocampal neurogenesis [49], NMDA receptor antagonism, and nAChR antagonism [31]. It is necessary to evaluate whether these mechanisms are also involved in the impaired memory observed in rats exposed to toluene during gestation.…”

Section: Effects On Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Behavioral Consequences of Prenatal Binge Toluene Exposure in Adolescent Rats

López‐Rubalcava¹,

Chávez-Alvarez²,

Huerta-Rivas³

et al. 2014

Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research

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The continued abuse of inhaled organic solvents, especially among women of childbearing age, raises the risk of long-term behavioral effects of maternal toluene abuse. In this study, the effects of short-term exposures to high toluene concentrations (i.e., "binges") were tested in independent groups of adolescent rats with different toluene treatments: (a) acute: 30-day-old animals exposed for 30 min to air (A) or 6,000 ppm toluene (T); (b) prenatal and postnatal: rats exposed to T or A from gestation days 8-20 and re-exposed to T or A from postnatal day (PN) 22 to PN30 (A/A, T/A, A/T, and T/T, resp.). On PN30, animals were evaluated in different tests. Postnatal toluene exposure produced anxiolytic-like effects in the burying behavior test, and the T/T group received the highest number of electrical shocks. Antinociception was observed in the T, A/T, and T/T groups in the hotplate test. All toluene treatments impaired short-term memory in the object recognition test, but only postnatal exposure impaired long-term memory in the passive avoidance test. Sensitization occurred in the T/T group in locomotor activity. These results indicate that prenatal exposure to a concentration of toluene that does not produce evident malformations can modify behavioral toluene's effects in adolescent rats.

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“…Petrol contains neurotoxic substances including aromatic hydrocarbons and tetraethyl lead that, when inhaled, induce euphoria, relaxation, diplopia, slurred speech, and hallucinations (Brust, 1993;Cairney et al, 2002). Severe exposure to leaded petrol may induce a lead encephalopathy that extends beyond the period of acute intoxication and is characterized by a 'clouding' of conscious state, tremor, myoclonus or chorea, limb and gait ataxia, hyperreflexia, nystagmus, and convulsive seizures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Severe exposure to leaded petrol may induce a lead encephalopathy that extends beyond the period of acute intoxication and is characterized by a 'clouding' of conscious state, tremor, myoclonus or chorea, limb and gait ataxia, hyperreflexia, nystagmus, and convulsive seizures. In some cases death may occur (Goldings and Stewart, 1982;Coulehan et al, 1983;Cairney et al, 2002). Consequently, individuals with lead encephalopathy secondary to petrol abuse require emergency hospitalization that is usually followed by prolonged intensive care treatment (Currie et al, 1994;Goodheart and Dunne, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurological and Cognitive Recovery Following Abstinence from Petrol Sniffing

Cairney

Maruff

Burns

et al. 2005

Neuropsychopharmacol

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Anecdotal observations suggest that neurological impairments associated with petrol (gasoline) sniffing resolve with abstinence, although these effects have not been proven empirically. Severe exposure to leaded petrol may induce a lead encephalopathy that extends beyond any acute intoxication and requires emergency hospital treatment. Previously, in chronic petrol sniffers, we showed neurological, saccadic, and cognitive abnormalities that were more severe in petrol sniffers with a history of hospitalization for lead encephalopathy, and that correlated with blood lead levels and the length of time of sniffing petrol. Ex-petrol sniffers showed a qualitatively similar but quantitatively less severe pattern of impairment. Petrol sniffing was stopped completely in one of the study communities by modifying social, occupational, and recreational opportunities. After 2 years, we obtained biochemical and neurobehavioral (neurological, saccade, and cognitive) data from all available participants of the earlier study including 10 nonsniffers and 29 chronic petrol sniffers, with six of these individuals previously receiving hospital treatment for lead encephalopathy. Here, we report that blood lead was reduced and that neurobehavioral impairments improved, and in many cases normalized completely. The most severe petrol-related neurobehavioral impairment was observed among individuals who had longer histories of abuse and higher blood lead levels, and among petrol sniffers with a history of lead encephalopathy. Those with the greatest extent of neurobehavioral impairment showed the greatest degree of improvement with abstinence, but were less likely to recover completely. This is the first direct evidence that neurological and cognitive impairment from chronic petrol sniffing ameliorates with abstinence and may recover completely.

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The neurobehavioural consequences of petrol (gasoline) sniffing

Cited by 75 publications

References 82 publications

Personal exposure to benzene from fuel emissions among commercial fishers: comparison of two-stroke, four-stroke and diesel engines

Personal exposure to benzene from fuel emissions among commercial fishers: comparison of two-stroke, four-stroke and diesel engines

Long-Term Behavioral Consequences of Prenatal Binge Toluene Exposure in Adolescent Rats

Neurological and Cognitive Recovery Following Abstinence from Petrol Sniffing

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