Med Lav
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Comparative Study
Neurobehavioral functions in operating theatre personnel exposed to anesthetic gases.
Neurobehavioral functions in paramedical operating theatre personnel were assessed in a cross-sectional survey. Sixty-two subjects (40 males and 22 females) occupationally exposed to anesthetic gases were examined and compared to 46 unexposed hospital workers (18 males and 28 females). The Simple Reaction Time (SRT) test was selected from the MANS battery (Milan Automated Neurobehavioural System). ⋯ This alteration was observed also considering only the subjects exposed to less than 55 micrograms/l (which is the Italian exposure limit for N2Ou, equivalent to 100 ppm for N2Oa). No significant differences were observed for the other psychometric tests. No dose-effect relationships where found between SRT test score and the indicators of exposure (N2Oa, ETHa, N2Ou).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)