Employees that are exposed to paint, glue and degreasers are at a higher risk of developing thinking and memory problems, a new study finds.
Previous studies have linked prolonged exposure to solvents such as paint, glue and degreasers to many health problems including liver and kidney damage, respiratory impairments, reproductive damage and even cancer. Adding, another health hazard to this list, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health found that people exposed to these solvents in their workplace for long durations are at a higher risk of developing intense cognitive decline in their later years. What's even more dangerous is that the brain may never fully recover from these damages.
"Our findings are particularly important because exposure to solvents is very common, even in industrialized countries like the United States." said study author Erika L. Sabbath, ScD, of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston in a press statement. "Solvents pose a real risk to the present and future cognitive health of workers, and as retirement ages go up, the length of time that people are exposed is going up, too."
The study was conducted on 2,143 retirees. Researchers examined the participants' lifelong exposure to chlorinated solvents, petroleum solvents, and benzene. The data collected revealed that 26 percent of the participants were exposed to benzene, 33 percent to chlorinated solvents and 25 percent to petroleum solvents.
The participants were asked to take about 8 memory and thinking tests. At this time, participants were an average age of 66 and had retired ten years prior to the commencement of the study.
Researchers noted that only 18 percent of the participants had no impaired scores while 59 percent showed impairment in at least one and up to three tests. Another 26 percent showed signs of cognitive decline in more than four tests.
These impaired scores were directly proportional to the duration of exposure to chlorinated solvents. Researchers said that people exposed to high levels of these toxic fumes were at a 65 percent higher risk of experiencing intensive cognitive decline in their later years.
"The people with high exposure within the last 12 to 30 years showed impairment in almost all areas of memory and thinking, including those not usually associated with solvent exposure," Sabbath said, according to CNN. "But what was really striking was that we also saw some cognitive problems in those who had been highly exposed much longer ago, up to 50 years before testing. This suggests that time may not fully lessen the effect of solvent exposure on some memory and cognitive skills when lifetime exposure is high."
Researchers said that more research needs to be conducted to confirm the findings because the current study had many limitations. For one, the cognitive ability of the participants was not measured before the study so you can't say for certain that there was any cognitive decline or not. Secondly, all participants were given different tests, randomly assigned to them. Hence, the results may not be accurate since some participants may have been assigned easier tests.
Other influencing factors like physical activity, diet and cardiovascular disease were also not taken into consideration, Medical News Today reported.
Chlorinated solvents can leave the body through exhalation or urination. Exposures can lead to short-term or long-term health effects, depending on the manner by which they entered your body and the amount of exposure. Short-term side effects may include dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and skin rashes. Long-term side effects may include chronic skin problems, and damage to the nervous system, kidneys, or liver. Some chlorinated solvents are also known to cause cancer, in both humans and animals.
Findings of the new study were published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and supported by the INSERM, French National Research Agency and the French Agency for Sanitary Security of Environment and Work.
