title: Sister chromatid exchanges in human peripheral blood lymphocytes after ingestion of high doses of arsenicals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the cytogenetic effects following the ingestion of high doses of arsenicals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Determination of the mean sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency and the population of high-frequency cells (HFC, cells with a high SCE frequency) in the peripheral blood lymphocytes in four patients who ingested 150 mg KAsO2, 1 g, 10 g and 20 g As2O3 respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Doses of 10 g and 20 g significantly increased the HFC frequency and produced a shift in the distribution of the cells in accordance with the number of SCEs. The mean frequency of SCEs/cell was affected only after the highest dose (20 g).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results strongly suggest that cytogenetic methods are inappropriate for biomonitoring people occupationally exposed to arsenicals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hantson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verellen-Dumoulin
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Libouton
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mahieu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003582:Cytogenetics; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D011042:Poisons / Q000506:poisoning*; D012016:Reference Values; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000187:drug effects; D013406:Suicide, Attempted
chemical_list: D011042:Poisons