Cognitive effects of chronic exposure to lead and solvents

✍ Scribed by Nancy Fiedler; Clifford Weisel; Richard Lynch; Kathie Kelly-McNeil; Richard Wedeen; Keith Jones; Iris Udasin; Pamela Ohman-Strickland; Michael Gochfeld

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 136 KB
• Volume: 44
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0271-3586
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.10287

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Background

Occupational exposure to lead and solvents has declined steadily over the past 20 years, however, construction workers continue to be exposed to these neurotoxicants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitive effects of chronic occupational exposure to lead and solvents.

Method

Based on K‐XRF of tibial bone lead and occupational history of solvent exposure, subjects were classified into four exposure groups: lead (N = 40), solvent (N = 39), lead/solvent (N = 45), and control (N = 33). All subjects completed tests to assess concentration, motor skills, memory, and mood.

Results

Relative to controls, the lead, solvent, and lead/solvent groups performed significantly more poorly on a test of verbal memory, while the lead and lead/solvent groups were slower than the solvent and control groups on a task of processing speed. Bone lead was a significant predictor of information processing speed and latency of response while solvent exposure was a significant predictor of verbal learning and memory.

Conclusions

Bone lead was associated with slower speed of processing while exposure to lead and/or solvents reduced efficiency of verbal learning. Am. J. Ind. Med. 44:413–423, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.