Paint fumes can mess up your brain for decades
Thinkstock
New studies reveal that exposure to solvents from paint or glue can have long-term effects on brain function.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health looked at brain data from more than 2,000 retired workers at a French utility company. A majority had begun working at the company in their late teens and early 20s and retired in their mid-50s.
After a series of eight memory exercises, the researchers found that the workers were still experiencing cognitive impairment from chemical exposure that occurred 30 to 50 years prior to the tests. Even more alarming was the fact that retirees who had experienced solvent exposure 12 to 30 years prior to testing had more difficulty recalling simple concepts, such as species of animals.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Erika Sabbath, the author of the study, told Time that she recommends utility workers stay in well-ventilated areas and wear masks when exposed to chemicals. "There's absolutely nothing to be lost by prevention," Sabbath said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
The future of X
Talking Point Trump's ascendancy is reviving the platform's coffers, whether or not a merger is on the cards
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 24, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: November 24, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New DNA tests of Pompeii dead upend popular stories
Speed Read An analysis of skeletal remains reveals that some Mount Vesuvius victims have been wrongly identified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
NASA's Europa Clipper blasts off, seeking an ocean
Speed Read The ship is headed toward Jupiter on a yearslong journey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Detailed map of fly's brain holds clues to human mind
Speed Read This remarkable fruit fly brain analysis will aid in future human brain research
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Blind people will listen to next week's total eclipse
Speed Read While they can't see the event, they can hear it with a device that translates the sky's brightness into music
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Melting polar ice is messing with global timekeeping
Speed Read Ice loss caused by climate change is slowing the Earth's rotation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
An amphibian that produces milk?
speed read Caecilians, worm-like amphibians that live underground, produce a milk-like substance for their hatchlings
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jupiter's Europa has less oxygen than hoped
speed read Scientists say this makes it less likely that Jupiter's moon harbors life
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published