title: Analysis of the Possible Persistent Genotoxic Damage in Workers Linked to the Ardystil Syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A combination of several factors including a change in the paint application system; a lack of proper hygiene; and inadequate safety measures caused a severe health impact in the workers of some textile painting factories. This outbreak, mainly characterized by respiratory disorders, caused the death of six people and it has been classified as Ardystil syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two workers involved in the outbreak and 48 healthy subjects not known to have exposed to the potentially mutagenic agents participated in the study. The program evaluated possible genotoxic damage through the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) cytogenetic biomarker assay. We determined the frequency of SCE, high-frequency cells (HFCs), and a ratio, which can be considered as a new parameter, allowing for the study of the SCE distribution pattern among the chromosomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant difference in the SCE frequency and in the mean number of HFCs between the control and the Ardystil-affected groups. However, smoking increased the incidence of all parameters studied in both the case and control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that workers involved in the Ardystil syndrome did not suffer genotoxic damage as measured by SCE and HFCs when compared with the control group.
authors.affiliation: 1 Servicio de Protección Radiológica, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe , Valencia, Spain .|2 Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Endocrinología, Nutrición y Dietética Clínica, IIS La Fe, Health Research Institute La Fe , Valencia, Spain .|3 Biomedical Imaging Research Group GIBI230 , IIS La Fe, Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Alegria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montoro
authors.affiliation: 4 Servicio de Protección Radiológica, IIS La Fe, Hospital Universitario La Fe , Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Natividad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sebastià
authors.affiliation: 5 Unidad de Bioestadística IIS La Fe, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe , Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hervás
authors.affiliation: 6 Servicio de Salud Laboral , Dirección General de Salud Pública, Consellería de Sanitat, Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Valentín
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.affiliation: 1 Servicio de Protección Radiológica, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe , Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bonafont
authors.affiliation: 7 Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona , Barcelona, Spain .
authors.forename: Joan Francesc
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Barquinero
authors.affiliation: 1 Servicio de Protección Radiológica, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe , Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almonacid
authors.affiliation: 8 Servicio de Hematología, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe , Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cervera
authors.affiliation: 8 Servicio de Hematología, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe , Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Such
authors.affiliation: 9 Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Nuclear, Escuela Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia , Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Gumersindo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Verdú
authors.affiliation: 2 Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Endocrinología, Nutrición y Dietética Clínica, IIS La Fe, Health Research Institute La Fe , Valencia, Spain .|10 Departament de Medicina Preventiva i Salut Pública, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Valencia , Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Soriano
authors.affiliation: 1 Servicio de Protección Radiológica, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe , Valencia, Spain .|3 Biomedical Imaging Research Group GIBI230 , IIS La Fe, Valencia, Spain .
authors.forename: Juan Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Villaescusa
mesh_terms: D004249:DNA Damage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics*; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000235:genetics*; D013577:Syndrome; D013783:Textile Industry