Exposure to Paints, Fumes Linked to Decrease in Cognitive Abilities Post-Retirement; Study

Being exposed to fumes or paints at work might negatively affect a person's thinking capabilities, a new study states.

Earlier, research showed that exposure to solvents can cause kidney and liver damage and can even lead to cancer. The present study by the researchers of the Harvard School of Public Health found that exposure to these chemicals at the workplace could lead to memory loss and hamper thinking capabilities by the time they reach the retirement age.

"Our findings are important because exposure to solvents is very common, even in industrialized countries like the United States," said study author Erika L. Sabbath, ScD, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "Solvents pose a real risk to the present and future cognitive health of the workers. As retirement age approaches, the amount of time that they are exposed to the solvents also goes up."

According to researchers, the study results could affect policies on workplace solvent exposure limits. Helping workers avoid chronic exposure to chemicals at work can lower future healthcare costs.

The study was based on data from the French National Utility Company. Some 2,143 participants were part of the research.

Researchers looked at the participants' exposure to chlorinated solvents, petroleum solvents, and benzene. Around 26 percent of the retired workers were exposed to benzene, 33 percent to chlorinated solvents and 25 percent to petroleum solvents.

The solvents used in the study are quite common. For example, people working as dry cleaners or with engines are regularly exposed to chlorinated solvents. Benzene is used to make plastic, rubber and dye. Petroleum solvents can be found in paint industries.

The participants underwent a series of tests that examined their thinking abilities. Researchers then categorized people based on their lifetime exposure to solvents.

Data analysis showed that retirees with high level of exposure to chemicals scored poorly in the tests than those with low exposure to these chemicals. Chlorinated solvents were considered to be the worst; workers recently exposed to these solvents were 65 percent more likely to have lower scores.

"The people with high exposure in 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 in a news release. "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 reduce the effect of solvent exposure on some memory and cognitive skills when lifetime exposure is high."

The study was published in the journal Neurology.