Exposure to Organic Solvents and Neurobehavioral Assessment of Working Children of Informal Footwear Units of Agra, India

Background: Children aged 5 to 14 years are employed in the informal units of footwear making and are exposed to a mixture of organic solvents present in the adhesives. Organic solvents are reported to be toxic to the neurobehavioral system. Objective: The present study was undertaken among the working children of informal footwear units of Agra to assess neurobehavioral functions using neurobehavioral tests. Materials and Methods: The study included 151 working children and 157 school children. We used the interview technique to collect the data regarding demographic, occupational, personal, and clinical characteristics using a pre-designed and pre-tested proforma. Each study participant was then subjected to a neurobehavioral test battery that included digit symbol test, finger dexterity, tweezer dexterity, vocabulary test, picture completion, and maze completion test. Results: The mean age of working children was 10.8 +/- 1.5 years and that of school children was 11.0 +/- 1.5 years. Except for the vocabulary test scores, all other test scores were significantly lower among working children as compared with the school children. Conclusion: The study revealed that the working children in informal footwear making units are exposed to a mixture of chemicals that affect their neurobehavioral function as reflected by poor neurobehavioral test battery (NBT) scores.