Documents neuropsychic effects 15 results

"A detailed evaluation of the principles and methods currently used to explore the association between exposure to chemicals and the development of adverse neurobehavioural changes. Emphasis is placed on the use of animals as systems to model and predict adverse reactions in the human nervous system.
The book has five sections. The first deals with general factors to be considered in the design of neurotoxicity studies and in the statistical analysis of their results. Experience acquired in the recent outbreaks of poisoning from methyl mercury and carbon disulfide are used to demonstrate both the importance of evaluating the neurotoxicity of chemicals and the power of animal studies to predict human responses. The remaining sections provide extensive information on methods developed in each of the four major research disciplines that contribute to the neurotoxic assessment of environmental chemicals. "

"Solvent Neurotoxicity presents a comprehensive summary of the latest information available regarding acute and chronic neurotoxicity of a number of solvents. Ten solvents (Chloromethane; Dichloromethane; N-Hexane; Methyl Ethyl Ketone; Methyln N-Butyl Ketone; Styrene; Toluene; 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, Trichloroethylene, and Xylene) and two mixtures of solvents (White Spirit, Mixed solvent exposure) have been selected based on their widespread use, as well as the mounting evidence from research concerning the neurotoxicity of these particular solvents. Evidence is presented from animal and human experiments, clinical observations, and epidemiological studies. The various methods used to establish a neurological diagnosis are described as well, and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods are discussed."

"The objective of this study was to assess acute effects caused by occupational solvent exposures at the level of the MAC value (maximum allowable concentration) on nervous functions. Postural sway was measured and four tests of the Neuropsychological Evaluation System (NES2: Symbol Digit, Pattern Memory, Digit Span, Switching Attention) were administered to 23 male foundry workers at the end of a working shift. Personal exposures to isopropanol were measured by passive sampling and exposures to methylformate by active sampling and by urinary methanol. Environmental concentrations were monitored by Fourier Transformation InfraRed Spectrometry (FTIR). As controls 8 skilled and 15 unskilled workers from the printing industry performed the same tests and underwent the same measurement procedures as did the foundry workers. Personal exposures in the foundry ranged from 22 ppm to 136 ppm (median 68 ppm) for methylformate and from 6 ppm to 73 ppm (median 28 ppm) for isopropanol. Skilled printers couldn't be compared to the other two groups because of their longer education and significantly younger age. There were no significant differences in test performance between unskilled printers and foundry workers. With respect to the foundry workers, personal solvent dose correlated significantly with several neurobehavioral functions: lateral sway in monopedal and bipedal standing significantly correlated with the isopropanol dose of the same day. Higher personal exposures to isopropanol significantly correlated with poorer short-term memory (Digit Span and Pattern Memory). This study indicates that sub-MAC exposures to the solvent isopropanol together with methylformate may affect nervous functions. The results are based on a small sample and further investigations regarding these two solvents are recommended."

Background From the viewpoint of the clinical neuropsychologist, it is not evident if the detection of solvent induced toxic encephalopathy (TE) could be optimized by a modification of the traditional test batteries, adding tests covering new dimensions or monitoring further functional domains. Methods To clarify this issue, TE patients were re-examined with (a) the tests traditionally used in screening for TE and (b) some tests hitherto less utilized within neurotoxicology, involving complex attention and frontal lobe functioning. Results The results do not indicate that tests of the latter category would be more sensitive to TE than the tests traditionally used. Using an optimized core battery, compiled of tests from both categories, the sensitivity and specificity levels reached a maximum of around 0.7 when using as criterion the reproduction of a subnormal test profile (TE type 2B). Conclusions A combination of several traditional and a few newer tests is suggested to optimize the detection of TE. Repeated assessments over time are also recommended.

"OBJECTIVES: To study the prevalences of neuropsychological symptoms in male and female dockyard painters in China and to compare them with those in British dockyard painters. METHODS: All 116 painters were identified, active and retired, who had been employed in two Chinese dockyards for at least 1 year together with a matched random sample of 263 dockyard non-painters. Neuropsychological and personality questionnaires that we had used previously in a study of United Kingdom dockyard painters were used, translated into Chinese. Neuropsychological symptoms in painters and controls were compared, adjusting for age, educational level, smoking, alcohol intake, and personality. RESULTS: The response rate was 94% for painters and 97% for controls. Highly significant excesses of symptoms were found in painters, suggestive of neuropsychological dysfunction. Both male and female painters showed higher relative risks than were found in similar tradespeople in the United Kingdom. The relative risk increased with increasing score of both neurological and psychological symptoms. Relative risk of having a high symptom score, compared with controls and adjusted for confounders, was 6.61 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.36 to 18.50) for 2-15 years exposure, 14.88 (5.74 to 38.56) for 16-22 years and 9.42 (3.97 to 22.36) for > or = 22 years. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that neuropsychological symptoms are associated with heavy exposure to painting work in China, and that the phenomenon is likely to be found worldwide wherever there is such exposure to solvent based paints. The high response rate in this study answers a possible criticism of the earlier United Kingdom study."