Association between toluene inhalation exposure and demography towards risk of neurotoxic: a Cross-sectional study at plastic sack industry workers in Indonesia

Toluene as a chemical often used by industry has effects that are harmful to the human body. One known effect was neurotoxic. Plastic industry workers are always exposed to toluene with a neurotoxic risk. Research on toluene exposure towards neurotoxic risk has never been done in Indonesia. The research subjects were printing workers in the PT X plastic sack industry. The design was cross-sectional with simple random sampling obtained 32 workers. Toluene concentration was measured using a gas chromatography device while the neurotoxic risk was measured using Q18 Questionnaire from German. The majority of the study subjects aged range of 36–45 years, worked more than 18 years, sometimes used personal protective equipment (PPE), and had nutritional status with criteria for overweight (≥ 23.0–24.9). Demographic factors such as age, working period, personal protective equipment (PPE) and nutritional status have a significant relationship with neurotoxic risk. Indoor toluene concentration also had a significant relationship with neurotoxic risk. Continuous toluene exposure could cause apoptosis/damage to the myelin sheath in the nerves so that it can cause neurotoxin risks such as difficult to concentrate, emotional, dementia and sleep disturbances. Toluene exposure in plastic bag workers can cause a risk of neurotoxins such as difficult to concentrate, dementia, and sleep disturbances. Plastic sack workers are required to use PPE regularly (especially masks) to reduce the risk of neurotoxins through toluene inhalation