ABSTRACT

The studies on exposure to different physical and chemical noxae did not offer any toxicopsychological data on the action of chromium and its derivates on the personality. The most valuable psychological researches were effectuated on the subjects exposed to organic solvents. The aim of our research is to look at the toxic action of organic solvents, of hexavalent chromium and silicogen factors on personality dimensions of patients and of subjects exposed to these noxae. In our research we used 3 categories of subjects: ill subjects (patients intoxicated with hexavalent chromium, n = 28), patients with silicosis (n = 32); subjects exposed to intoxication: subjects exposed to effect of organic solvents (n = 30), subjects exposed to the effect of hexavalent chromium (n = 89); subjects without exposure to noxae (n = 104). In order to realize our aim we administered the following psychological tests: FPI, MAS (Taylor), depression test (Limbek). As a conclusion of our study we mention that the toxic environment acts on the structure of personality, and it contributes to the degradation of personality of the exposed subjects. This degradation is more accentuated than in the case of the normal process of ageing, it brings forward the chronological age.

KEYWORDS: dimensions of personality (aggressivity, depression, irritability, sociability, self-confidence, tendency of dominance, inhibitivity, sincerity, extroversion, neuroticism, anxiety), hexavalent chromium, organic solvents mixtures, silicosis.