title: Decreased blood level of beta 2-microglobulin in the employees of a factory which produced polychlorinated biphenyls.
abstract: Under the project of evaluating the health status of the employees of CHEMKO factory (East Slovakia) which produced PCBs between 1955 and 1985, the level of beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-m) was measured in the serum of 242 subjects from CHEMKO (Group A) and two control groups from much less polluted areas: 1,277 females from a small mountainous village (Group B), 2,179 adults from the area of a large city of Kosice (Group C). The level of thymidine kinase (TK) was measured in the groups A and B only. In addition, age-matched groups of 155 women each from all areas were evaluated. In both the whole group and the age-matched group from CHEMKO the level of beta 2-m was significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that in the respective control groups, while no difference was found in the level of TK. In conclusion, it is suggested that the decrease of beta 2-m in CHEMKO employees might be related to the immunotoxic effects of organochlorines.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kausitz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tajtáková
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kocan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bohov
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hanzen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002617:Chemical Industry; D003857:Deoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D000922:Immunotoxins / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D018154:Slovakia; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000922:Immunotoxins; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D003857:Deoxyuridine