Sensory mediated behavioral effects during exposures to ethyl acrylate
-
1
Dortmund University of Technology, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Germany
-
2
German Social Accident Insurance, Ruhr-University Bochum, BGFA - Research Institute of Occupational Medicine, Germany
Ethyl acrylate (EA) is a substance with a pungent and annoying odor. In Germany the occupational exposure limit (OEL) is 5 ppm, with a short term exposure limit (STEL) of 10 ppm. Medians for EA odor and lateralization threshold were reported as low as 0.0066 ppb and 4.15 ppm, respectively[1].Chemosensory effects of EA in humans have not yet been conclusively studied. Therefore, the present study aims at investigating these effects, emphasizing also distractive odor effects.
After written informed consent was obtained, 19 healthy volunteers (10 females, 9 males) were exposed for 4 hours to EA in five different conditions. These conditions included time weighted average concentrations (CTWA ) of 0 ppm (control condition), 2.5 ppm, and 5 ppm. For the experimental conditions both constant and varying exposures were chosen, latter ranging from 0-5 ppm (CTWA 2.5 ppm) and 0-10 ppm (CTWA 5 ppm). During all exposures the participants had to complete various working memory tasks. Additionally, olfactory and trigeminal perceptions were assessed before, during, and after exposure with standardized rating scales.
Olfactory and trigeminal ratings differed significantly from the control condition. For the visual-spatial working memory task the reaction times were significantly affected by EA exposure. Post hoc comparisons yielded reaction time differences about 30 ms between the 5 ppm CTWA conditions and the other conditions. The error rates were elevated by 3% during these conditions. In conclusion, weak behavioral effects could be substantiated for the highly annoying conditions with CTWA of 5 ppm.
References
1. van Thriel C, Schaper M, Kiesswetter E, Kleinbeck S, Juran S, Blaszkewicz M, Fricke HH, Altmann L, Berresheim H, Brüning T. From chemosensory thresholds to whole body exposures-experimental approaches evaluating chemosensory effects of chemicals. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2006, 79(4), 308-321
Conference:
Summer School on Human Olfaction, Dresden, Germany, 19 Jul - 25 Jul, 2009.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Abstracts
Citation:
Hey
K,
Kleinbeck
S,
Schäper
M,
Kiesswetter
E,
Blaszkewicz
M,
Zimmermann
A,
Golka
K,
Brüning
T and
Van Thriel
C
(2009). Sensory mediated behavioral effects during exposures to ethyl acrylate.
Conference Abstract:
Summer School on Human Olfaction.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.12.022
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
21 Sep 2009;
Published Online:
21 Sep 2009.
*
Correspondence:
K. Hey, Dortmund University of Technology, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany, hey@ifado.de