Audiological and Vestibulo-Oculomotor Findings in Workers Exposed to Solvents and Jet Fuel

Three groups of subjects with long-term (5-41 years) occupational exposure to industrial solvents have been evaluated with extensive audiological and vestibular test batteries. Group A comprised 16 subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of psycho-organic syndrome (POS), while group B consisted of 7 subjects with suspected POS. Both groups had been exposed to mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic solvents. Eight subjects with long-term exposure to jet fuel constituted group C. In the audiological test battery, discrimination of interrupted speech and evoked cortical potentials in response to frequency glides were the tests that yielded significantly abnormal results. In the vestibular test battery, considerable pathology was seen in electronystagmography, and in addition, visual suppression test and saccade test indicated CNS disturbance. In general, when a test yielded pathological results, the incidence of pathology was highest in group A and lowest in group C.