Since Dr Bill Glass of Otago University started a project on the possible behavioural effects of solvents, he has had many first hand experiences with people who complain of mysterious mood changes toward the end of the working week. People came to Dr. Glass telling of insidious behavioural changes which made them aggressive, irritable, indifferent to work, family and life. Some had suffered such great mood changes that girlfriends and spouses had either broken off or were greatly concerned about their relationship. Others, who had normally been conscientious workers and enthusiastic about their job, had gradually lost their interest in work

Dr. Glass has undertaken a survey on solvent exposure at work over the last six months. He believes that the complaints are work related, and that such mood alterations may be much more common than previously estimated.

There are many common factors that tie the patients together into one single group, and reinforce Dr. Glass’s suspicions. Solvent exposure is one of them. The fact that the symptoms become worse towards the end of the working week is another.

Solvents used to be more or less confined to a handful of professions, including painters, printers, dry cleaners and degreasers. Nowadays, however, there has been a "solvent explosion": solvents are used in countless operations and for innumerable purposes, The result is that solvent exposure is one of the most common problems in today’s industry.

How could solvent inhalation lead to behavioural afflictions and personality changes? Dr. Glass says that most of the body’s vital organs are affected by solvent exposure and the brain is one of them. The brain is a vulnerable organ, with many sensitive functions such as memory, emotions, sleep control, and intellectual capacity.

Other important organs include the blood-producing bone marrow, the liver, the kidneys — all of which may show a deterioration after repeated exposure to solvents. It has also been shown that solvents may affect the unborn child in pregnant women, Dr. Glass says.

SYMPTOMS

Immediate effects usually include dizziness, drunken behaviour, nausea and headache. If exposure is severe heart failure may follow.

Delayed effects are the real object of Dr. Glass’s research: these include the characteristic personality changes and mood swings, particularly occurring at the end of the working week, or after long periods of exposure to solvents.

Long-term effects include bone marrow damage (benzene for instance has been established as a carcinogen, and to cause blood cancer in certain circumstances), kidney and liver damage damage to the embryo, and permanent brain changes.

HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM:

• Educate managers, foremen and workers to gain thorough knowledge about the effects and characteristics of solvents, and in the use and maintenance of breathing equipment.
• Install mechanical ventilation.
• Implement a respirator program. Ensure that the right type of respirator is used, that the filter is made for the particular solvent, and that the filter capacity is high enough for the duration and strenuousness of the work performed.
• Establish whether solvents are present in vapour or aerosol form. Gas filters ONLY protect against vapour: if the solvent is in aerosol (mist, fog) form, a combined particle-gas filter must be used.
• Prescribe supplied air equipment for all enclosed areas. Remember that a life harness must be worn, and that one or two people must be on constant standby.
• Make regular medical checks by a health professional. Monitor general well-being, as well as blood and urine.

CONCLUSION

Dr. Glass’s opinion is echoed by many scientists in Europe where a number of research projects are planning to establish the true dangers of solvents, and to show how wide-spread they really are.

While solvents are often treated (and used) in the most casual manner, the severity of detrimental effects and possible consequences cannot be overstated.

Source Dr. Bill Glass, Associate Professor in Occupational Health, Deparfment of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago New Zealand. Report published by N.Z Dept. of Labour magazine, SAFEGUARD, October 1988.

SOLVENTS NOT THE ONLY MOOD CHANGERS:

CHEMICAL FOOD ADDITIVES have also been shown to cause emotional changes and alterations of personality. The chemicals can affect both children and adults, however, children seem to be most at risk.

For a reason yet unexplained, males are much more susceptible than females: up to ten times more cases occur in males. Research shows that people who are sensitive to aspirin and salicylates also frequently show mental symptoms when exposed to food additives.

One of the world’s foremost experts in the field, Dr. Ben Feingold, an allergist from San Francisco, first stumbled upon the connection between food additives and behaviour in 1965, when he treated a woman for severe skin allergy caused by artificial colours and flavours. He withdrew these substances from her diet. Not only did the patient’s skin condition disappear, but her psychiatrist soon found that she had suddenly recovered from her psychological complaints: hostility, irritability, aggressiveness and difficulties in getting along with others.

As long as she stayed away from food additives she was in perfect mental health, but as soon as she deviated from her diet, she returned to her hostile behaviour.

Symptoms range from hyperactive behaviour, such as excitability, impulsiveness and distraction to depressive behaviour, such as low self-esteem.

Food additives have like solvents, gone through an explosion-like growth of late. The California Association for the Neurologically Handicapped has estimated that in only ten years, incidences of hyperactive behaviour and resulting learning difficulties has increased from 2% to a full 25%, and in some groups, up to 40%.

It seems that artificial colouring agents, notably tartrazine (E102) play the most important role followed by flavourings and preservatives, we have been unable to find literature on workers in the food industry who may be exposed to food additives daily in a much more direct way. Whether colourings and flavourings could cause the same problems through inhalation or skin absorption is, to the best of our knowledge not known.

Source: Food Chemical Sensitivity by Ph.D. Robert Buist, Harper & Row, 1987.