Peripheral vibratory sense deficits in solvent-exposed painters.

Peripheral neuropathy, as exhibited by the decrease in vibratory sense, is believed to be one of the manifestations of the peripheral nervous effects of solvent exposure. A solvent-exposed group of commercial painters (n = 28) was compared with a nonexposed group of boilermakers (n = 20) for differences in vibrotactile sensitivity. Differences in vibrotactile measurements of upper and lower extremities were compared between the two groups. Painters had lower vibration perception in all four extremities with statistically significant differences noted in four of seven analytical categories. Findings from this study suggest there are significant vibration perception differences between the studied painters and boilermakers and these differences are likely to be associated with occupational exposure to organic solvents.