ACUTE EFFECTS OF 1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE INHALATION ON THE HUMAN CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM

The object of this study was to examine the immediate nervous effects of variable 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCE) exposure combined with physica l exercise. The effects on the quantitative electroencephalography (EE G), visual evoked potentials (VEP) and body sway were analyzed. Nine m ale volunteers were exposed to either a stable or a fluctuating exposu re pattern with the same time-weighted average concentration of 200 pp m (8.1 mu mol/l). In both cases, the subjects engaged in physical exer cise during the exposures. Exercise alone induced an increase in the d ominant alpha frequency in the EEG and, after an initial drop, an incr ease in the alpha percentage with a concomitant decrease in theta, whe reas delta and beta bands remained unaffected. By contrast, exposure t o TCE and exercise did not affect the alpha, theta or delta activities but induced changes in beta during the morning recordings at peak exp osure to TCE. The body sway tended to decrease slightly during the flu ctuating TCE exposure, and the later peaks in VEPs showed slight prolo ngations. Overall, no deleterious effects of exposure were noted.