title: Urinary naphthol metabolites and chromosomal aberrations in 5-year-old children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Exposure to naphthalene, an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)-classified possible carcinogen and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), is widespread, though resulting health effects are poorly understood. Metabolites of naphthalene, 1- and 2-naphthol, are measurable in urine and are biomarkers of personal exposure. Chromosomal aberrations, including translocations, are established markers of cancer risk and a biodosimeter of clastogenic exposures. Although prenatal (maternal) PAH exposure predicts chromosomal aberrations in cord blood, few studies have examined chromosomal aberrations in school-age children and none has examined their association with metabolites of specific PAHs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using Whole Chromosome Paint Fluorescent in situ Hybridization, we documented chromosomal aberrations including translocations, in 113 five-year-old urban minority children and examined their association with concurrent concentrations of PAH metabolites measured in urine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We report that in lymphocytes, the occurrence and frequency of chromosomal aberrations including translocations are associated with levels of urinary 1- and 2-naphthol. When doubling the levels of urinary naphthols, gender-adjusted OR for chromosomal aberrations are 1.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21-2.19] and 1.44 (95% CI, 1.02-2.04) for 1- and 2-naphthol, respectively; and for translocations OR = 1.55 (95% CI, 1.11-2.17) and 1.92 (95% CI, 1.20-3.08) for 1- and 2-naphthol, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that markers of exposure to naphthalene in children are associated with translocations in a dose-related manner, and that naphthalene may be a clastogen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Indoor exposure to elevated levels of naphthalene is prevalent in large regions of the world. This study is the first to present an association between a marker of naphthalene exposure and a precarcinogenic effect in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. mao5@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Manuela A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Orjuela
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Warburton
authors.forename: Deliang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Vaidehi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jobanputra
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hoepner
authors.forename: Ida Hui
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Suen
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diaz-Carreño
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sjodin
authors.forename: Frederica P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Perera
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000652:urine; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000139:chemically induced*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009153:Mutagens / Q000009:adverse effects; D009284:Naphthols / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000652:urine*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015415:Biomarkers; D009153:Mutagens; D009284:Naphthols