Occupational risk assessment of paint industry workers.
BACKGROUND
Thousands of chemical compounds are used in paint products, like pigments, extenders, binders, additives, and solvents (toluene, xylene, ketones, alcohols, esters, and glycol ethers). Paint manufacture workers are potentially exposed to the chemicals present in paint products although the patterns and levels of exposure to individual agents may differ from those of painters. The aim of the present study was to evaluate genome damage induced in peripheral blood lymphocytes and oral mucosa cells of paint industry workers.


METHODS
Genotoxicity was evaluated using the alkaline Comet assay in blood lymphocytes and oral mucosa cells, and the Micronucleus test in oral mucosa cells. For the micronucleus test in exfoliated buccal cells, no significant difference was detected between the control and paint industry workers.


RESULTS
The Comet assay in epithelia buccal cells showed that the damage index (DI) and damage frequency (DF) observed in the exposed group were significantly higher relative to the control group (P≤0.05). In the same way, the Comet assay data in peripheral blood leukocytes showed that both analysis parameters (DI and DF) were significantly greater than that for the control group (P≤0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic occupational exposure to paints may lead to a slightly increased risk of genetic damage among paint industry workers.
Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC), SC, Brazil.
Hugo M
HM
de Oliveira
Gracilene P
GP
Dagostim
Arielle Mota
AM
da Silva
Priscila
P
Tavares
Luiz A Z C
LA
da Rosa
Vanessa M
VM
de Andrade