Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2005 May;19(3):677-85. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2004.12.036.
The aim of the study was to examine aluminium welders for central nervous changes due to the exposure to aluminium containing welding fumes. A group of 44 aluminium welders in the train body and truck trailer construction industry (mean age: 43 years) with an average of 11.4 years of occupational exposure to aluminium welding fumes and a control group of 37 production workers (mean age: 40 years) of the same plants participated in this longitudinal study. Medical and neuropsychological examinations were performed in 1999 and 2001. Performance was measured with computerised (EURO-NES, motor performance, simple reaction time) and non-computerised test systems (verbal intelligence, standard progressive matrices, trail making, block design) and symptoms with a modified version of the questionnaire Q16. Data was analysed by multivariate analysis of variance including age, education, and alcohol marker as covariates (MANCOVA). The pre-/postshift average Al-urine concentrations of welders were in the range of 130-153μg/l. Welders showed significantly poorer performance in symbol-digit substitution, block design, and to some extent in switching attention. However, motor performance and other measures did not differ between welders and controls. Summing up, the results give no clear hints on neurological changes in Al-welders.
本研究旨在检查因接触含铝焊接烟尘而导致中枢神经系统变化的铝焊工。该研究纳入了车身和卡车拖车制造行业的 44 名铝焊工（平均年龄：43 岁）和同一工厂的 37 名生产工人（平均年龄：40 岁）作为对照组，这些铝焊工平均有 11.4 年接触铝焊接烟尘的职业暴露史。1999 年和 2001 年进行了医学和神经心理学检查。使用计算机化（EURO-NES，运动表现，简单反应时间）和非计算机化测试系统（言语智力，标准渐进矩阵，连线测试，方块设计）进行了表现测试，并使用修改后的问卷 Q16 对症状进行了评估。数据通过包含年龄、教育和酒精标志物作为协变量的多元方差分析进行分析（MANCOVA）。焊工的班前/班后平均尿铝浓度在 130-153μg/l 范围内。焊工在符号数字替换、方块设计方面的表现明显较差，在注意力转换方面也有一定程度的表现较差。然而，焊工和对照组在运动表现和其他方面没有差异。总的来说，结果没有明确提示铝焊工存在神经系统变化。
