Frequency of HPRT mutants in humans exposed to vinyl chloride via an environmental accident.
The mutant frequency (MF) in the hypoxanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyl-transferase (HPRT) locus of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes was measured in a population environmentally exposed to vinyl chloride - a toxic and carcinogenic substance through an accidental release into the atmosphere. It was compared to MF in a control group of unexposed individuals. Both groups were re-investigated in a follow-up study, 2 years later. No significant difference could be observed in MF between exposed and controls either at the accident nor in the follow-up study. Approximately the same mean HPRT mutant frequencies were observed for both groups in T-lymphocytes from blood samples obtained shortly after the accident and from the follow-up blood samples. Both groups showed a higher mean MF in the re-investigation samples which is most probably due to the significantly lower average cloning efficiency (CE) under non-selective conditions and because of the inverse relationship between CE and MF. The exposed population showed a higher mean T-cell CE at the initial blood sampling as compared to the control group. The concurrent cytogenetic analyses of peripheral lymphocytes showed a significant increase in cells with aberrations in the exposed population. Clastogenic but not mutagenic activity of vinyl chloride was observed in our study.
Becker
R
R
Population Monitoring Unit, Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Franzosenweg 1a, D-06097, Halle, Germany.
Nikolova
T
T
Wolff
I
I
Lovell
D
D
Hüttner
E
E
Foth
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D002999:Clone Cells; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D009154:Mutation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D014752:Vinyl Chloride / Q000633:toxicity*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D009153:Mutagens; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase; D014752:Vinyl Chloride