title: Effect of drinking water disinfection by-products in human peripheral blood lymphocytes and sperm.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs) are generated by the chemical disinfection of water and may pose hazards to public health. Two major classes of DBPs are found in finished drinking water: haloacetic acids (HAAs) and trihalomethanes (THMs). HAAs are formed following disinfection with chlorine, which reacts with iodide and bromide in the water. Previously the HAAs were shown to be cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, teratogenic and carcinogenic.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of HAAs in human somatic and germ cells and whether oxidative stress is involved in genotoxic action. In the present study both somatic and germ cells have been examined as peripheral blood lymphocytes and sperm.
  
  
  METHODS
  The effects of three HAA compounds: iodoacetic acid (IAA), bromoacetic acid (BAA) and chloroacetic acid (CAA) were investigated. After determining appropriate concentration responses, oxygen radical involvement with the antioxidants, butylated hydroxanisole (BHA) and the enzyme catalase, were investigated in the single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet) assay under alkaline conditions, >pH 13 and the micronucleus assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the Comet assay, BHA and catalase were able to reduce DNA damage in each cell type compared to HAA alone. In the micronucleus assay, micronuclei (MNi) were found in peripheral lymphocytes exposed to all three HAAs and catalase and BHA were in general, able to reduce MNi induction, suggesting oxygen radicals play a role in both assays.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These observations are of concern to public health since both human somatic and germ cells show similar genotoxic responses.
authors.affiliation: Genetic & Reproductive Toxicology Group, Medical Sciences Division, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK.
authors.forename: Aftab
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Genetic & Reproductive Toxicology Group, Medical Sciences Division, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK.
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurzawa-Zegota
authors.affiliation: Genetic & Reproductive Toxicology Group, Medical Sciences Division, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK.
authors.forename: Mojgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Najafzadeh
authors.affiliation: Genetic & Reproductive Toxicology Group, Medical Sciences Division, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK.
authors.forename: Rajendran C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Gopalan
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop Sciences and NSF Science and Technology Center of Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water with Systems, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Plewa
authors.affiliation: Genetic & Reproductive Toxicology Group, Medical Sciences Division, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK. Electronic address: d.anderson1@bradford.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000633:toxicity; D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020552:Comet Assay; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000633:toxicity*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects*; D022882:Trihalomethanes / Q000633:toxicity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D004202:Disinfectants; D060766:Drinking Water; D022882:Trihalomethanes; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bromoacetic acid (BAA); Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA); CBMN (cytokinesis-block micronucleus) assay; Catalase; Chloroacetic acid (CAA); Comet assay; Haloacetic acid (HAA); Iodoacetic acid (IAA); Micronuclei (MNi)