P-220 Quality of life in employees exposed to organic solvents a study of 196 cases

Introduction

Occupational exposure to organic solvents remains a real risk for exposed employees, particularly on mental health and quality of life.

Objectives

To evaluate the quality of life of employees exposed to solvents To research the professional and extra-professional determinants of this quality of life.

Material and Methods

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that compared 196 employees exposed to solvents with 64 non-exposed employees from the same socio-professional environment . An environmental study combining an evaluation of working conditions and atmospheric monitoring was carried out to identify and quantify exposure to solvents. Quality of life was assessed using the SF36 questionnaire in its Arabic version.

Results

The solvent mixtures to which the employees were exposed mainly contained hexane, toluene, ethyl acetate and perchloroethylene. The study population was relatively young (34.1 years ±9.8), predominantly male (sex ratio=2.2) with an average work experience of 10.3 years (±8.2) and represented mainly by manual workers (75.4%). The pathological history of the exposed patients was dominated by chronic neuropsychological disorders (48.1%). The SFG 36 score was worse in the solvent-exposed group (SFG= 64.1(± 21.1)) versus 70.1(±23.3) in the non-exposed group , the difference being borderline significant (p=0.05). Among the eight dimensions of the SF36, a very significant alteration of the dimensions ‘perceived health ‘, ‘psychological health’ and ‘repercussion of psychological health on daily activities ‘ was noted in the solvent-exposed group. The main determinants of the quality of life of workers exposed to solvents were level of education, frequency of exposure, length of exposure, and company.

Conclusion

According to this study, organic solvents can affect the quality of life of exposed employees by acting essentially on « perceived health », « psychological health » and the ‘impact of psychological health on daily activities’.