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Solvent‐associated decrements in olfactory function in paint manufacturing workers
Author(s) -
Schwartz Brian S.,
Ford D. Patrick,
Bolla Karen I.,
Agnew Jacqueline,
Rothman Nathaniel,
Bleecker Margit L.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700180608
Subject(s) - medicine , solvent exposure , percentile , organic solvent , olfactory system , environmental health , occupational exposure , physiology , occupational hygiene , toxicology , audiology , pathology , occupational safety and health , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics , chemical engineering , engineering , biology
To assess the effects of low‐level organic solvent exposure on olfactory function, a cross‐sectional study in paint manufacturing workers was undertaken. Workers in two paint manufacturing facilities (N = 187) were tested using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a standardized, quantitative test of olfactory function. Industrial hygiene air samples over the past 13‐15 years revealed that average solvent exposures in these plants were 2‐40% of the existing threshold limit values for the three chemicals measured. Stratification by smoking status revealed evidence of dose‐related decrements in olfactory function (p = .01) only in non‐smokers. Furthermore, those nonsmoking workers in the highest exposure category had UPSIT scores below the fifth percentile for their age. These results suggest that solvents may cause nervous system dysfunction at lower levels than previously suspected, and that the olfactory system may be a critical target organ for the neurotoxic effects of solvents and other chemicals.