Study Links Mood Problems With Work ‘Allergies’

A growing number of factory and office workers claim to be allergic to their jobs--literally. Complaints include watery eyes, stuffy noses, unrelenting headaches, respiratory problems, dizziness and memory loss.

A new study by the University of Washington in Seattle suggests that people who claim they suffer from the effects of low-level chemicals and gases at work are also prone to depression and anxiety--and that mood problems may help trigger their sensitivity to chemicals.

Dr. Gregory E. Simon and his colleagues tested 37 plastics workers at an aerospace manufacturing plant after they reported various health ailments following a new procedure in the plant’s manufacturing process. Although the chemicals released never reached toxic levels, 50 of the manufacturing plant’s 400 workers filed for workers’ compensation.

Simon thinks the workers’ emotional states at the time of exposure and their psychological history determined whether they were at risk for developing long-term physical symptoms. Psychiatric tests showed a high rate of depression and anxiety among those who stayed sick--54% of the chronic complainers had a history of psychiatric illness, while only 4% of those who felt briefly unwell had similar mental problems. The workers who complained of long-lasting psychological problems also were likelier to seek medical care for other physical ailments.

“A person’s ability to adapt to a chemical or physical insult is related to his mood and mental state at the time of exposure,” says Simon. “This is not to say that these symptoms are all in his head, however. The physical troubles are very real.”

Simon hasn’t ruled out the possibility that low-level chemical exposure could have triggered the workers’ anxiety and depression.