Does occupational exposure to mineral fibres cause DNA or chromosome damage?
Markers of genetic stability were monitored in lymphocytes from 98 workers employed in rockwool manufacture in a factory in the Slovak Republic, and 43 controls (administrative employees in the same factory). Strand breaks in lymphocyte DNA were higher in exposed compared to control non-smokers, but there was no effect of exposure on specific damage to bases in DNA, nor on chromosome aberrations. The frequency of micronuclei was higher in women in the control group than in rockwool-exposed women. DNA repair (8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase activity) was unaffected by exposure, but was negatively correlated with micronucleus frequency, implying that unrepaired 8-oxoguanine contributes to micronucleus formation. The conclusion from this study is that, overall, rockwool exposure has no deleterious effect on genetic stability in humans.
Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Research Base of the Slovak Medical University, Limbova 12, 833 03 Bratislava, Slovak Republic. maria.dusinska@szu.sk
Mária
M
Dusinská
Magdaléna
M
Barancoková
Alena
A
Kazimírová
Vikki
V
Harrington
Katarína
K
Volkovová
Marta
M
Staruchová
Alexandra
A
Horská
Ladislava
L
Wsólová
Andrew
A
Collins
D004247:DNA / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D019016:Mineral Fibers / Q000633:toxicity*; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D018154:Slovakia
D005819:Genetic Markers; D019016:Mineral Fibers; D009153:Mutagens; D004247:DNA