Occupational Exposure to Solvents and Cognitive Performance in the GAZEL Cohort: Preliminary Results.

International audienceBackground: The impact of occupational exposure to solvents on cognitive ageing remains unclear. We examined whether long-term occupational exposure is associated with poor cognitive performance in late midlife. Methods: Participants in the GAZEL cohort, set up in 1989, are employees of the French national electricity and gas company. Data on the working environment were used to create measures of cumulative exposures to solvents using a job-exposure matrix. In 2002-2004, cognitive performance was assessed using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) and the Mini Mental State Examination in 5,242 participants (aged 55-65 years). Results: In cross-sectional analysis using multiple logistic regression, there was a greater risk of poor cognitive performance (DSST score