Evaluation of the neurophysiologic effects of 1,2-propylene glycol dinitrate by quantitative ataxia and oculomotor function tests.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Boyd J ; Horvath EP ; Ilka RA ; Markham T
• Description:
  A study was made of possible neurotoxicity due to chronic or acute exposure to 1,2-propylene-glycol-dinitrate (6423434) (PGDN), a nitrated ester used in the torpedo propellant Otto-Fuel-II, in military personnel exposed during torpedo maintenance procedures. Oculomotor function and ataxia were measured, along with medical and occupational histories and neuroophthalmologic examination, in 87 workers (mean age 34 years) who were chronically exposed and in a subset of 29 workers during acute exposure. A comparison group of 21 nonexposed workers (mean age 30 years) was also studied. Comparison had less than one half the weekly alcohol intake of exposed subjects. Saccade movement was measured in terms of maximum velocity, accuracy, and delay time. Quantitative ataxia tests to grade voluntary muscular movement while walking or standing were performed and analyzed using a quantitative test battery and scoring system. Air monitoring turnaround (acute exposure) revealed PGDN varying from 0 to 0.22 part per million (ppm), with 88 percent of samples showing less than 0.1ppm. Workers reported headache, congestion, eye irritation, and dizziness during past PGDN exposures, although none were reported during the monitored turnarounds. These workers showed a decline in mean saccade velocity and saccade delay following PGDN exposure, but not in other oculomotor or ataxic parameters. No changes in oculomotor or ataxic parameters were detected in the total or the chronically exposed population in the absence of acute exposure, even in a group of workers with at least 60 months of exposure. Within the exposed group, correlations were found for saccade maximum velocity with total duration of exposure and with exposure index in terms of turnaround months, and for saccade delay time with age. The authors conclude that acute exposure to PGDN can cause transient subclinical neurologic alterations, but there is no evidence of chronic neurotoxicologic effects. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Epidemiology Fuel Oils Glycols Nervous System Nitrates Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Acute-exposure Air-contamination Chronic-exposure Eye-movement Fuels Military-personnel Nervous-system-function NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  365-378
• Volume:
  2
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00180795
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 1981; 2(4):365-378
• CAS Registry Number:
  Propylene glycol dinitrate (CAS RN 6423-43-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1981
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:74dec2e5ad85132477ad0d29f24901301d8bbba6c909a7bbeb31264c257d7c79fab60bcce00ffeeeae0598441840ae4917ebed78f6fd5ca5abec8f5fddb06d92
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185564/cdc_185564_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 887.74 KB ]