Hersenschade door blootstelling aan oplosmiddelen

• Since 1997 more than 3,000 patients have been referred to one of the two Dutch Solvent Teams with health problems that may have been caused by long-term occupational exposure to organic solvents.
• A diagnosis of ‘chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy’ was made in approximately 500 patients.
• The diagnostics of this disease is based on five elements: (a) symptoms in line with the diagnosis; (b) relevant exposure to an organic solvent with neurotoxic effects; (c) a clear temporal relationship between the onset of symptoms and exposure to a solvent with neurotoxic effects; (d) exclusion of other causes for the symptoms; and (e) impairment on neuropsychological assessment.
• Exposure to organic solvents can cause chronic health effects, which may even persist years after exposure has ceased.
• In general, no more serious deterioration of health is observed after exposure has ceased.

Conflict of interest and financial support for this article: the authors are employed by one of the Solvent Teams; these teams are financed by a fixed-amount grant from the Dutch National Health Care Institute. ICMJE forms provided by the authors are available online along with the full text of this article.