title: Cytogenetic damage in the  buccal epithelium of Brazilian aviators occupationally exposed to agrochemicals.
abstract: The  frequency of micronuclei in both buccal cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes  is extensively used as a biomarker of chromosomal damage and genome stability  in human populations. We examined whether prolonged exposure to complex  mixtures of pesticides leads to an increase in cytogenetic damage. The exposed  group comprised 50 agricultural aviators, mainly from Central and Southeast  regions of Brazil, who had inhaled agrochemicals for more than 10 years without  personal protection equipment; the control group consisted of 17 men from the  same regions, without indication of exposure to pesticides, There were three  times higher frequencies of micronuclei (P < 0.05) and 2.5 times higher  frequencies of binucleated cells in the aviators when compared to controls.  However, cytotoxic alterations such as broken eggs and karyorrhexis did not  present statistically significant differences between the exposed and control  groups. Therefore, diverse agrochemicals used to combat pests in agriculture  possess genotoxic effects in the oral mucosa of the agricultural pilots, as  showed in this study.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu, Doutorado em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil.
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Minasi
authors.forename: E O A
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: C O A
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Silva Júnior
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: da Cruz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016573:Agrochemicals / Q000633:toxicity*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000473:pathology; D001359:Aviation; D001938:Brazil; D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis; D004249:DNA Damage; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D016573:Agrochemicals