Psychological Disorders in Organic Solvents Exposed Workers and the Role of Some Trace Elements

Amal Saad1, Heba Mahdy Abd Allah1, Nasser Mohamed Abdel-Latif2, and Inas Ali Saleh2

1 Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine and 2 Department of Air Pollution, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt

Corresponding author: Dr. Heba Mahdy Abd-Allah
    Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine
    National Research Center
    El-Bohouth Street Dokki, Giza, Egypt
    Fax numbers: 20233370931, 20233601877
    E-mail: hebamahdy2003@yahoo.com

CEJOEM 2008, Vol.14. No.3.: 263-275

Key words:
organic solvents, psychological disorders, serum copper, serum selenium and serum zinc

Abbreviations:
ACGIH
ATSDR
BETX
EPA
Cu		 = American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
= Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
= Benzene, Ethyl benzene, Toluene, and Xylene
= Environmental Protection Agency
= Copper		 ppm
Se
VOCs
WHO
.		 = Parts Per Million
= Selenium
= Volatile organic compounds
= World Health Organization
.

Abstract:
Psychiatric symptoms have been reported in individuals exposed to low level organic solvents. The aim of the study was to assess the psychological troubles among car spray painters, and evaluation of the role of some trace elements. It included 62 exposed workers with a mean duration of exposure 20.8 ± 4.7 years and 72 non-exposed workers. Behavioural study was done using Middle Six questionnaire which assessed 6 psychic abnormalities (anxiety, phobia, depression, somatization, obsession, and hysteria). Air samples were collected on activated charcoal and analyzed by gas chromatography to assess the levels of VOCs (benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene and xylene) and the amounts of some trace metals were determined as well. VOCs level in the ambient air was found to be significantly below the Egyptian Standards. The results of psychological assessment revealed higher percentage of psychic abnormalities in the exposed workers (48.4%) compared to the control subjects (8.3%). Anxiety and phobia were the most prominent troubles in the exposed workers. The age and the duration of exposure were found to be significantly higher in workers with anxiety compared to the other workers. Analysis of some trace elements showed significant elevation in the serum copper levels in the exposed workers with psychic abnormalities compared to the non-exposed workers. However, no difference was detected regarding selenium and zinc. In conclusion, low level exposure to VOCs is associated with some psychological dysfunctions and hence neurobehavioural assessment is beneficial as early predictors of neurotoxicity. Zinc and selenium were found to have no significant effect on the psychological abnormalities secondary to occupational exposure to VOCs. While, high serum copper level was observed in workers with psychic abnormalities.

Received: 5 January 2009
Accepted: 26 May 2009
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