Solvent-associated decrements in olfactory function in paint manufacturing workers
Corresponding Author
Dr. Brian S. Schwartz MD, MS
Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Section of General Internal Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Francis Scott Key Medical Center, 4940 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21224Search for more papers by this authorD. Patrick Ford MD, MPH
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorKaren I. Bolla PhD
Department of Neurology, Francis Scott Key Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorJacqueline Agnew PhD
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorNathaniel Rothman MD, MPH
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorMargit L. Bleecker MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Department of Neurology, Francis Scott Key Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Dr. Brian S. Schwartz MD, MS
Clinical Epidemiology Unit, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Section of General Internal Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Francis Scott Key Medical Center, 4940 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21224Search for more papers by this authorD. Patrick Ford MD, MPH
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorKaren I. Bolla PhD
Department of Neurology, Francis Scott Key Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorJacqueline Agnew PhD
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorNathaniel Rothman MD, MPH
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorMargit L. Bleecker MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Department of Neurology, Francis Scott Key Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
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.
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