Rosemarie M. Bowler

Visual Dysfunction among Former Microelectronics Assembly Workers

Although known neurotoxins with potential ophthalmotoxic properties are commonly used in microelectronics assembly, there has been no systematic study of visual disturbances among past or present workers in this industry. The objective of the present study was to compare visual functions, using a matched-pair design, between former workers from a microelectronics plant and a local reference population. From an initial population of 180 former workers and 157 potential referents, 54 pairs were matched for age (+/- 3 y), education (+/- 2 y), sex, ethnic origin, and number of children. Near and far visual acuity, chromatic discrimination, and near contrast sensitivity were assessed monocularly. Paired comparisons (Signed-rank Wilcoxon test) revealed that the former microelectronics workers had significantly lower contrast sensitivity, particularly in the intermediate frequencies, independently of near visual acuity loss. There were no differences for far visual acuity in both eyes. Even though near visual acuity and color vision were compromised among the former workers, the differences were only significant for one eye, as was the prevalence of acquired dyschromatopsia (chi-square for matched pairs, p less than .001). These findings suggest a pattern of contrast sensitivity deficits consistent with impairment to foveal and/or neuro-optic pathways among these former microelectronics workers. Exposure to ophthalmotoxic chemicals is proposed as the most probable risk factor.

Affective and personality disturbances among female former microelectronics workers.

The production and manufacture of microelectronic components, carried out primarily by women workers, require extensive use of organic solvents. Affective and personality disturbances frequently have been associated with organic solvent toxicity. A group of women, former microelectronics workers (N = 70), primarily of Hispanic origin (77.1%) but raised in the United States, were evaluated for affective and personality disturbance with the MMPI. Profiles were analyzed, and diagnostic classification was performed blind. Results showed that (1) 85.7% of the profiles indicated abnormally high clinical elevations; and (2) MMPI profile classification revealed four clinical diagnostic groups: somatoform (24.3%), depression (15.7%), anxiety (28.6%), and psychotic (14.3%). These findings indicate significant psychopathology among these women, who formerly had worked in a microelectronics plant. The patterns of impairment present similarities to previous reports of organic solvent toxicity.

Environmental anxiety: Assessing emotional distress and concerns after toxin exposure

Abstract Anxiety in face of environmental risks is common, but few attempts have been made to assess individual differences psychometrically and to validate the measures in samples that have suffered from exposure to neurotoxic substances. The present study deals with this problem in two ways. First, levels of general anxiety were determined in two large independent samples of workers who were exposed to multiple organic solvents and in their nonexposed referents. In both samples, anxiety was substantially higher in exposed subjects than in their referents. Second, an Environmental Worry Scale (EWS) was developed and validated in three samples. This 17-item instrument and its 8-item subscale yielded satisfactory psychometric properties and also succeeded in discriminating solvent exposed from nonexposed subjects. Finally, the EWS was used in a structural equation model that was designed to predict the intention to avoid chemicals. The worry factor served as a mediator between exposure and intention, where...

Self-Esteem and Interracial Attitudes in Black High School Students A Comparison with Five Other Ethnic Groups

Black urban high school students have higher self-esteem, greater racial tolerance than students in other ethnic groups.

Comparison of digit symbol and symbol digit modalities tests for assessing neurotoxic exposure

Abstract The WAIS-R Digit Symbol subtest and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) scores are compared on 157 former micro-electronics workers with organic solvent exposure and 113 nonexposed comparison subjects. The majority of both groups were Hispanic females (88% and 91%) with similar educational levels (M 11.6 and 12.1 years) and age (M 44.7 and 43.8 years). Both the SDMT and the Digit Symbol test differentiated the solvent exposed former micro-electronics workers from the nonexposed comparison subjects, with the exposed scoring lower than the comparison subjects on both the Digit Symbol test (M 47.4 vs. 54.4) and the SDMT (M 39.1 vs. 43.1). Scores between the SDMT and the Digit Symbol test correlated highly for the former workers (r = .78) and the comparison subjects (r = .73) No gender effects were found, although age and educational level were associated with performance on both tests.

California neuropsychological screening battery (CNS/B I & II)

Neuropsychological assessment of individuals exposed to workplace or environmental neurotoxins is a lengthy, highly specialized, and costly endeavor. Literature that documents the central nervous effects of neurotoxins is reviewed, and neuropsychological tests currently used in this type of assessment are discussed. The California Neuropsychological Screening Battery (CNS/B I & II) was designed to afford rapid and broad assessment of the variety of brain functions typically affected by toxic brain injuries. The CNS/B I & II is comprised of: (1) Wechsler Memory Scale; (2) Visual Information Processing; (3) WAIS-R subtests of: Digit Span, Vocabulary, Block Design, Arithmetic, and Digit Symbol; (4) Trail Making Test A and B; (5) Dynamometer; (6) Finger Tapping Test; (7) Purdue Pegboard; (8) Benton Visual Retention Test; and (9) Neurotoxic Anxiety Scale (Bowler, Becker, & Harrison, 1985). Administration time is 50 to 60 minutes. The CNS B/ I & II facilitates intraindividual and intergroup comparisons through examination of subtest scores within the battery.

Neuropsychological and Academic Characteristics of Mexican-American Children: A Longitudinal Field Study

Les performances academiques et de tests psychologiques de 836 enfants mexicains-americains ont eteetudiees sur une periode de quatre ans. Ces enfants, âges de 6 a 12 ans, vivaient dans une ville rurale de Californie a predominance Hispanique. Les moyennes des resultats sur les tests psychologiques etaient a l’interieur d’une deviation standard des normes nationales. Les resultats academiques (lecture, mathematiques et langue) etaient en dessous de la moyenne nationale, bien que a l’interieur d’une deviation standard des resultats de l’Etat de Californie. Des regressions hierarchiques multiples ont ete realisees avec les variables demographiques (langue de l’enfant, langue de la maison, statut d’immigrant, et niveau de pauvrete) et les resultats des tests psychologiques afin de predire la performance future sur le “CAT”. Les resultats du test “Coding and Digit Span” se sont reveles les meilleurs indicateurs et etaient meilleurs que les variables demographiques pour cette population. Performance in psychological tests and academic achievement over four years was examined for 836 Mexican-American children aged 6 to 12 years living in a rural and predominantly Hispanic town in California. Mean scores on tests were within one standard deviation of national norms. Reading, math, and language scores were below the national average, but they remained within one standard deviation of the state’s population’s scores. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted for both demographic variables (child’s language, household language, migrant status, and poverty level) and psychological test scores. Demographic variables and psychological test scores were used to predict later test performance on the CAT. Test scores for Coding and Digit Span were the best predictors and were better than these demographic variables for this population.