A Clinical, Neurophysiological and Behavioral Study of Female Workers Exposed to 1,1,1-trichloroethane

• Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment ＆ Health Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 16 - 22
• Main Authors: MARONI, MARCO, BULGHERONI, CARLO, CASSITTO, M. GRAZIA, MERLUZZI, FRANCA, GILIOLI, RENATO, FOA, VITO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Finland Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment ＆ Health 01.03.1977; National Board of Occupational Safety and Health; Occupational Health Foundation; Workers' Protection Fund; Swedish Medical Society, Section for Environmental Health; Work Research Institutes
• Subjects: Adult; Air Pollutants - poisoning; Air Pollutants, Occupational - poisoning; Back Pain - chemically induced; Behavior - drug effects; Employee complaints; Environmental Exposure; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases - chemically induced; Headache - chemically induced; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated - poisoning; Low speed; Microclimates; Nervous System - drug effects; Neurophysiology; Neurotic Disorders - chemically induced; Observational research; Occupational Diseases - chemically induced; Psychological Tests; Psychology; Psychometrics; Psychoses, Substance-Induced; Solvents; Trichloroethanes - pharmacology; Trichloroethanes - poisoning; Urine; Volunteerism; female workers; neurotoxicity; 1,1,1-trichloroethane
• ISSN: 0355-3140; 1795-990X
• DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.2797

Twenty-two female subjects working in a factory in which 1,1,1-trichloroethane was the only solvent used were investigated by means of clinical, neurophysiological and psychometric methods so that the meurotoxicity of the solvent could be evaluated. On the basis of the ambient air concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloroethane ranging from 110 to 990 ppm, the workers were divided into three risk groups and compared with a reference group. No significant difference was observed between the exposed and unexposed females with respect to clinical features, maximal motor conduction velocity, conduction velocity of slow fibers, and psychometric data. The most frequent complaints of the workers were of the "neurotic" type with a slightly higher, but not significant, difference in the exposed group. The results obtained favor the absence of a manifest neurotoxic effect of 1,1,1-trichloroethane under the specific work conditions of the investigaition; generally unfavorable work conditions seem to have played a prominent role in the genesis of the neurotic complaints. The importance of a global methodological approach in the study of work-related risks, particularly in neurological and psychological surveys, is stressed.