Objective: Associations between occupational styrene exposures and impairment of visual functions were investigated with a view to answering three questions: (1) are the published findings for colour vision deficiencies and impaired contrast sensitivity to reproduce in a new study approach, (2) if such effects exist, are they related to current or chronic exposures and (3) if effects exist, are there reductions in the effects during an exposure-free period?

Methods: Workers from a boat building plant were examined in groups of current low [n = 97, mean mandelic acid (MA) + phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA) = 51 mg/g creatinine], medium (n = 115, mean = 229 mg/g creatinine) and high (n = 30, mean = 977 mg/g creatinine) level exposure to styrene. Job tenure was about 6 years. In addition, subgroups chronically exposed to low-short (n = 34, lifetime weighted mean 200 mg/g creatinine for 6 years) and high-long (n = 17, mean = 660 mg/g creatinine, 15 years) styrene levels were analysed. The examinations were carried out during normal working days and during the company holidays. Colour vision was investigated with the Lanthony desaturated panel D-15d using the colour confusion index (CCI) as a relevant variable. Contrast sensitivity was investigated with the Vistech charts VCTS 6500 using frequency-related results as well as total scores as variables. Co-variance analyses with repeated measurements and multiple linear regressions were used for statistical analysis.

Results: There was no evidence of significant associations between exposure parameters and CCI. This is true for the analyses with all participants as well as for those with the subgroups with high-long versus low-short exposure. Thus, no exposure related changes in the relevant variables were found during the exposure-free period. The analyses for contrast sensitivity show similar results. The largest portions of the variances in both tests were explained by age. German as mother tongue covered a considerable portion of the CCI variances. Education, long-term alcohol use and job tenure explain only partly significant portions of the test variances exhibited.

Conclusion: Both acute styrene exposure levels of 40 ppm (range of standard deviation up to 54 ppm) and long term exposures to 27 ppm (range of standard deviation up to 44 ppm with higher exposure levels in the past) for a period of about 15 years were not identified as causing elevated risks for the investigated parameters of colour vision and contrast sensitivity. This statement contradicts the published results for styrene-related colour vision deficiencies but it seems to be compatible with published results for contrast sensitivity due to styrene exposure.