The neurobehavioral characteristics of painters exposed to solvents were compared to those of unexposed sheetmetal workers. The data were obtained from screening programs which consisted of a health and neurobehavioral evaluation as well as a health and work history related questionnaire. Neurobehavioral evaluation included simple reaction time, visual digit span, symbol/digit substitution, pattern memory, vocabulary, and mood tests. Three exposure indices were assembled for the painters. The first index estimated the amount of time a painter worked with oil or solvent based paints. The second index estimated the amount of solvent exposure and respirator use, while incorporating the application method used. The third index estimated the application rate in addition to the variables addressed in the second index. Painters performed significantly worse than sheetmetal workers in symbol/digit substitution, pattern memory, and vocabulary tests. When the vocabulary and symbol/digit substitution scores were treated as covariates, the significant difference between the pattern memory scores of the painters and sheetmetal workers was no longer observed. The three most commonly used solvents in the painting industry were mineral-spirits (64475850), xylene (1330207), and naphtha (8030306). The second and third indices were highly correlated, with a coefficient of 0.88. With increasing solvent exposure, correct answers on the vocabulary and pattern memory tests decreased significantly, while response latency on the symbol/digit substitution test increased significantly. Regarding the second and third indices, increasing exposure was significantly correlated with increasing response latency on the symbol/digit substitution and pattern memory tests and decreasing scores on the vocabulary, pattern memory, and backward digit span tests. The increased exposures calculated by the third index were also significantly related to increased lead (7439921) levels, and increased renal and hematological health problems. The authors conclude that solvent exposure in painters is related to poor neurobehavioral performance.

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