Evaluación del daño en el ADN y vigilancia biológica de la exposición laboral a solventes orgánicos, 2006

Abstract

Introduction. Exposure to solvents is one of the highest potential risks for millions of workers inthe world; they can generate substantial environmental pollution leading to outbreaks of publichealth problems.Objective. Blood levels were determined for metabolites of benzene, toluene and xylene, andpolymorphisms for enzymes CYP2E1, GSTM1, GSTT1 were characterized. Damage to DNAwas assessed by the comet assay for exposure to organic solvents.Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in 90 employees from 5different companies. A survey form was administered; blood was sampled to detect the geneticpolymorphisms and to apply the comet assay (single cell gel electrophoresis) to detect DNAfragmentation. The concentrations of phenol, ortho and meta methylhippuric acids weremeasured in urine. Statistical analyses explored the possible associations.Results. The percentage of workers directly exposed to solvents was 34.4%. In this group, theevidence indicated concentrations higher than the permitted limits: 3.3% for phenol, 6.6% for hippuric acid, 3.3% for ortho-methylhippuric acid and 36.7% for metamethylhippuric acid. Inthe Comet assay, the length of the comet’s tail was greater than average (19.5 ìm) in exposedsubjects, and the percentage of cells with mild damage (19.0%) (p=0.0007) was higher. Thepercentage of exposed individuals with absent genotypes for enzymes GSTT1 and GSTM1was 46.7% and 56.8% respectively.Conclusion. Exposure biomarkers have become fundamental tools for the evaluation of riskassociated with exposure to toxic agents.