The Correlation of Blood Xylene Levels and Neurological Disorders among Informal Car Painters

Abstract

A provisional study was conducted to analyze the correlation of xylene exposure in the air at the workplace with levels of xylene in blood and neurological symptoms among informal car painting in Surabaya. This research was designed as an observational study and conducted by the cross-sectional technique involving 51 informal car painters. Neurologic symptoms were meant by the German version of the Q18 form while resolving xylene levels within the blood have measured with ELISA. This study has also observed the characteristics of workers and working activity factors. Significant correlations have been shown based on Pearson correlation analysis, which was the age, working period, and duration of work. Meanwhile, Spearman correlation analysis showed that the habit of using a PPE mask, smoking habits, and xylene levels in the blood were strongly considered to have a significant association with neurological symptoms in workers. Simple linear regression s used to analyze the correlation coefficient (R-square), which was 0.718. In conclusion, blood levels of xylene are related to neurological symptoms in informal car painters. The monitoring of xylene levels in the blood and the regular use of PPE masks demonstrated the relationship between xylene exposure and neurological symptoms.