Assessment of the effects of occupational and environmental factors on all faster and slower large myelinated nerve fibers: a study of the distribution of nerve conduction velocities.

To assess the effects of occupational and environmental factors on all faster and slower large myelinated peripheral nerve fibers, we measured the distribution of nerve conduction velocities (DCV) in men exposed to local vibration, lead, thallium, styrene, mixed solvents, and alcohol as well as in diabetic patients. The results indicated that conduction velocities of faster large myelinated nerve fibers are more sensitive to most toxic chemicals and physical factors than those of the slower fibers. Further studies are needed to investigate which of the DCV and the conventional peripheral nerve conduction velocity is a more sensitive indicator of the subclinical effects of these factors and whether zinc and copper antagonize the effects of lead on the DCV.