Neurobehavioral effects of experimental exposure to toluene, xylene and their mixture.

The effects of experimental exposure to toluene (100 ppm), xylene (100 ppm) and their mixture (50 ppm of toluene and 50 ppm of xylene) on CNS functions were studied in 10 male volunteers aged 22-35. Changes in CNS functions were measured by means of nine psychological tests. Acute exposure to xylene produced the most adverse effect on simple reaction time SRT and choice reaction time ChRT. Exposure to toluene affected only the memory test performance. The effect of combined exposure appeared to be weaker than the effect of exposure to xylene alone but stronger than the effect of exposure to toluene.