Toluene histology technicians

Formaldehyde exposure is not known to cause neurobehavioral symptoms or disturbed mental of neurologic function. Kilburn et al., however, found that exposure by hospital histology technicians to formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene produced such effectsJ2°l No attempt was made to explain these results. 

Neurobehavioral symptoms, disturbed mental and neurological function, and respiratory symptoms were reported in histology technicians as a result of their exposure to formaldehyde (0.35), ethanol (-0.31), chloroform (1.97), toluene (2.73), and xylene (3.15). The symptoms observed could not be attributed to the individual chemicals at the low levels of exposure J52l This study illustrates the propensity of some lipophilic-hydrophilic... 

Histology technicians exposed to formaldehyde (Kow = 0.35) and xylene (Kovi/ = 3.15) or toluene (Kow = 2.73) exhibit symptoms of neurobehavioral impairment of memory, judgment, and equilibrium J104 These effects cannot be attributed to the individual chemicals in the mixtures. 

The histology technicians were regularly exposed to mixtures of formaldehyde toluene, and xylene and less frequently to ethanol, chloroform, and methyl methacrylate. All exposures were at levels below TLVs for the individual chemicals and below levels at which the neurotoxic effects that were observed are expected. All the mixtures to which the histology technicians were exposed contained at least one lipophile and one hydrophile. 

---