Screening and Neuropsychological Assessment of Spray Painters at Risk for Organic Solvent Neurotoxicity

Abstract

The aim of this study was twofold: 1) To examine the usefulness of the screening Questionnaire 16 (Q16) in relation to Type 2 organic solvent neurotoxicity (OSN). Type 2 OSN is defined by chronic exposure to neurotoxic solvents and symptoms ofneurotoxocity, and is divided into Type 2A, characterized by sustained personality or mood change, and Type 2B, characterized by impairment in intellectual function. 2) To determine thesensidvities of a number of neuropsychological tests in the assessment of OSN. Subjects of the study were 20 spray painters with high Q16 scores and two control groups—20 spray painters with low Q16 scores, and ten nonexposed panel beaters (aged 23–53 years). The subjects were given psychological and neuropsychological assessments by a psychologist blind to their Q16 status. Seven of the 20 men with high Q16 scores had significant numbers of both neuropsychological and psychological symptoms, with an additional four having small numbers of cognitive symptoms only. Men who had low Q16 scores did not have enough symptoms to indicate clear OSN, although eight men in this group had small numbers of depressed neuropsychological test scores. A MANOVA on individual tests demonstrated that single tests failed to discriminate the groups at the 0.05 level. The results suggest that the Q16 effectively screens men with clear Type 2 OSN, most of whom have both psychological and neuropsychological symptoms. It is less reliable for screening men with few neuropsychological deficits. Those tests most sensitive to the neuropsychological symptoms of OSN are Digit Symbol, the Rey Osterreith Complex Figure, and the California Verbal Learning Test. The results of the study do not provide strong support for the division of Type 2 OSN into Type 2A and Type 2B OSN.

Keywords:

• cognitive functions
• neuropsychology
• neurotoxicity
• organic solvents
• psychological functions