Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Occupational and Environmental Medicine logoLink to Occupational and Environmental Medicine
. 1996 Mar;53(3):174–179. doi: 10.1136/oem.53.3.174

Investigation on neurotoxicity of occupational exposure to cyclohexane: a neurophysiological study.

J Yuasa 1, R Kishi 1, T Eguchi 1, I Harabuchi 1, T Kawai 1, M Ikeda 1, R Sugimoto 1, H Matsumoto 1, H Miyake 1
PMCID: PMC1128440  PMID: 8704858

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of occupational exposure to cyclohexane on the peripheral nervous system. METHODS: A nerve conduction study was performed on 18 workers exposed to cyclohexane in a luggage factory and on age and sex matched occupationally unexposed controls. 12 workers had been exposed to n-hexane (median 2.8 years) before the start of exposure to cyclohexane. To confirm the effect of exposure, a follow up study was performed on nine workers one year after the first study. The mean exposure to cyclohexane was 1.2 years in the first study. A symptom survey was performed. The exposure was measured by air sampling of the breathing zone of each worker. The urinary metabolite cyclohexanol was also monitored. RESULTS: The concentration of airborne cyclohexane ranged from 5 to 211 ppm. The urinary concentration of cyclohexanol ranged from 0.12 to 1.51 mg/l. There was a strong correlation between the cyclohexane exposure in personal air and urinary cyclohexanol. No differences were found in nerve conduction velocities (NCV) between workers exposed to cyclohexane and age and sex matched controls. The results of the follow up study showed significant improvements in peroneal motor NCV (P < 0.01) and sural sensory NCV (P < 0.05) and in ulnar motor distal latency (MDL, P < 0.05) and peroneal MDL (P < 0.05) compared with the first study. Although the past n-hexane exposure affected the first neurophysiological study, the effect had disappeared in the second study, one year later. CONCLUSION: Occupational exposure to the concentrations of cyclohexane experienced in this study had no adverse effects on the peripheral nervous system.

Full text

PDF
174

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Chang Y. C. An electrophysiological follow up of patients with n-hexane polyneuropathy. Br J Ind Med. 1991 Jan;48(1):12–17. doi: 10.1136/oem.48.1.12. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Franchini I., Cavatorta A., D'Errico M., De Santis M., Romita G., Gatti R., Juvarra G., Palla G. Studies on the etiology of the experimental neuropathy from industrial adhesive (glues). Experientia. 1978 Feb 15;34(2):250–252. doi: 10.1007/BF01944708. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Frontali N., Amantini M. C., Spagnolo A., Guarcini A. M., Saltari M. C., Brugnone F., Perbellini L. Experimental neurotoxicity and urinary metabolites of the C5-C7 aliphatic hydrocarbons used as glue solvents in shoe manufacture. Clin Toxicol. 1981 Dec;18(12):1357–1367. doi: 10.3109/15563658108990344. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Halar E. M., DeLisa J. A., Brozovich F. V. Nerve conduction velocity: relationship of skin, subcutaneous and intramuscular temperatures. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1980 May;61(5):199–203. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hirayama T., Ikeda M. Applicability of activated carbon felt to the dosimetry of solvent vapor mixture. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1979 Dec;40(12):1091–1096. doi: 10.1080/15298667991430749. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kishi R., Harabuchi I., Katakura Y., Ikeda T., Miyake H. Neurobehavioral effects of chronic occupational exposure to organic solvents among Japanese industrial painters. Environ Res. 1993 Aug;62(2):303–313. doi: 10.1006/enrs.1993.1115. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Letz R., Gerr F. Covariates of human peripheral nerve function: I. Nerve conduction velocity and amplitude. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1994 Jan-Feb;16(1):95–104. doi: 10.1016/0892-0362(94)90014-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Mutti A., Cavatorta A., Lommi G., Lotta S., Franchini I. Neurophysiological effects of long-term exposure to hydrocarbon mixtures. Arch Toxicol Suppl. 1982;5:120–124. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-68511-8_22. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mutti A., Cavatorta A., Lucertini S., Arfini G., Falzoi M., Franchini I. Neurophysiological changes in workers exposed to organic solvents in a shoe factory. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1982;8 (Suppl 1):136–141. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Paulson G. W., Waylonis G. W. Polyneuropathy due to n-hexane. Arch Intern Med. 1976 Aug;136(8):880–882. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Perbellini L., Brugnone F. Lung uptake and metabolism of cyclohexane in shoe factory workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1980;45(3):261–269. doi: 10.1007/BF00380789. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Perbellini L., Brugnone F., Silvestri R., Gaffuri E. Measurement of the urinary metabolites of N-hexane, cyclohexane and their isomers by gas chromatography. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1981;48(1):99–106. doi: 10.1007/BF00405936. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rivner M. H., Swift T. R., Crout B. O., Rhodes K. P. Toward more rational nerve conduction interpretations: the effect of height. Muscle Nerve. 1990 Mar;13(3):232–239. doi: 10.1002/mus.880130310. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Sanagi S., Seki Y., Sugimoto K., Hirata M. Peripheral nervous system functions of workers exposed to n-hexane at a low level. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1980;47(1):69–79. doi: 10.1007/BF00378330. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Takano K., Kirchner F., Steinicke F., Langer A., Yasui H., Naito J. Relation between height and the maximum conduction velocity of the ulnar motor nerve in human subjects. Jpn J Physiol. 1991;41(3):385–396. doi: 10.2170/jjphysiol.41.385. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Yasugi T., Kawai T., Mizunuma K., Kishi R., Harabuchi I., Yuasa J., Eguchi T., Sugimoto R., Seiji K., Ikeda M. Exposure monitoring and health effect studies of workers occupationally exposed to cyclohexane vapor. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1994;65(5):343–350. doi: 10.1007/BF00405700. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Occupational and Environmental Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES