While numerous studies have been carried out in industrialized countries, only very few epidemiologic investigations performed in developing countries are reported in the international literature. This study is one of the few examples of investigations carried out in a region where industrialization is at its beginning. A sample of 188 workers employed at the Camaçari Petrochemical Complex in Bahia, Brazil, and exposed for over five years to organic solvents was submitted to neurobehavioral testing (QQS questionnaire, MANS battery) together with a 1/1 control group paired for age, school attendance and alcohol consumption. The exposed subjects showed differences significantly worse at emotional status, manual dexterity, recognition memory and subjective symptoms. Exposed subjects are therefore characterized by decreased psychophysical well-being.