Reports Released on Telehealth and Brain Exposure to Paint, Glue, Degreasers

The report describes the new telehealth opportunity, analyzes the benefits from telehealth, 

and examines the barriers to widespread adoption in the United States. It also proposes 

the following specific policy changes:

• Adopt a standard definition for telehealth,
• Establish a single, national license for telehealth providers,
• Create technology-neutral insurance payment policies,
• Promote interoperability among state prescription drug monitoring programs, and
• Fund research to continually improve the quality and lower the cost of telehealth programs.

To read the full report, click here.  

Brain May Never Fully Recover from Exposure to Paint, Glue, Degreasers
A study published in the May 13, 2014 print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the 

American Academy of Neurology, found that people who are exposed to paint, glue, 

or degreaser fumes at work may experience memory and thinking problems in retirement, 

decades after their exposure.

The study involved 2,143 retirees from the French national utility company. Researchers 

assessed the workers’ lifetime exposure to chlorinated solvents, petroleum solvents, 

and benzene, and evaluated the timing of the last exposure and lifetime dosage. About 

26 percent of those participants were exposed to benzene, 33 percent to chlorinated solvents, 

and 25 percent to petroleum solvents.

Participants who were exposed to the various chemicals then took eight tests of their

 memory and thinking skills an average of 10 years after they had retired, when they were

 an average age of 66. About 59 percent of the participants showed memory and thinking

 impairment on one to three of the eight tests.

To learn more and read the full study, click here.

Date originally posted: May 16, 2014.