title: Cytogenetic monitoring of a village population potentially exposed to a low level of environmental pollutants. Phase 1:SCE analysis.
abstract: By analogy to the techniques applied for monitoring biological effects of exposure to genotoxic agents in occupational populations, we have carried out cytogenetic monitoring in a group of inhabitants of a village (Mellery, Belgium) suspected to have been exposed to a variety of toxic environmental pollutants. These pollutants probably originated from a neighboring chemical wastes site. A group of 51 environmentally exposed and 52 reference persons (including children) were examined for the frequency of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) in their peripheral blood lymphocytes. The technique was further refined by using a high frequency cells (HFC) analysis. Analysis of the reference subgroups showed a significant difference between non-smoking adults and children. The influence of tobacco was clear, too. In the exposed group, no significant differences could be demonstrated between either the smokers or the non-smokers or the children. Furthermore, not only were the mean frequencies of SCE higher than in the respective reference subgroups but comparison between the two groups also showed a higher number of individuals presenting a HFC level above the background in the exposed group. Surprisingly, the difference was more pronounced for the children. A follow-up of the same exposed population carried out 18 months later and after remediation of the atmospheric chemical release, the previously observed tendencies in the exposure parameter remained unmodified.
authors.affiliation: Division of Toxicology, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lakhanisky
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bazzoni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jadot
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Joris
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ottogali
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pays
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Planard
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vleminckx
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants