Neuropsychological effects among workers exposed to organic solvents

Objective. To assess neuropsychological performance among workers at a paint factory in Mexico City. Materials and methods. During 2004 and 2005 we assessed the neuropsychological performance of 208 workers who were exposed to organic solvents at a paint factory, mainly toluene and xylene.We categorized workers into low and high exposure groups using a cumulative index for toluene, based on times spent in different tasks. We evaluated cognitive and motor functions with 13 neuropsychological tests. Results. We found lower attention, longer time to complete the test beta=5.5 (R-2=12.3%), and a lower score in the motor-cognitive test beta=-15.7 (R-2=19.5%) in the high exposure group through multiple linear regression model analysis, with adjustment for age and education. Conclusion. Our results are similar to the ones reported in the literature, but the effects are less severe, probably due to lower exposure to organic solvents.