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British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1985 Feb;42(2):117–122. doi: 10.1136/oem.42.2.117

Coexposure to toluene and p-xylene in man: central nervous functions.

B A Olson, F Gamberale, A Iregren
PMCID: PMC1007433  PMID: 3970870

Abstract

Sixteen men were studied in an exposure chamber to assess the effect of four hours' exposure to toluene (3.25 mmol/m3), xylene (2.84 mmol/m3), a mixture of toluene and xylene (2.20 + 0.94 mmol/m3), and a control condition. With the aid of microcomputers, subjects performed tests of simple reaction time, short term memory, and choice reaction time immediately after entering the chamber, after two, and after four hours' exposure. The results indicate that the performance on the tests was unaffected by exposure. In the light of this result the risk of an acute effect on central nervous functions after exposure for four hours at concentrations that do not exceed the Swedish threshold limit values was considered to be minimal.

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Selected References

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