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Ladeira C, Møller P, Giovannelli L, Gajski G, Haveric A, Bankoglu EE, Azqueta A, Gerić M, Stopper H, Cabêda J, Tonin FS, Collins A. The Comet Assay as a Tool in Human Biomonitoring Studies of Environmental and Occupational Exposure to Chemicals-A Systematic Scoping Review. TOXICS 2024; 12:270. [PMID: 38668493 PMCID: PMC11054096 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12040270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Biomonitoring of human populations exposed to chemical substances that can act as potential mutagens or carcinogens, may enable the detection of damage and early disease prevention. In recent years, the comet assay has become an important tool for assessing DNA damage, both in environmental and occupational exposure contexts. To evidence the role of the comet assay in human biomonitoring, we have analysed original research studies of environmental or occupational exposure that used the comet assay in their assessments, following the PRISMA-ScR method (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews). Groups of chemicals were designated according to a broad classification, and the results obtained from over 300 original studies (n = 123 on air pollutants, n = 14 on anaesthetics, n = 18 on antineoplastic drugs, n = 57 on heavy metals, n = 59 on pesticides, and n = 49 on solvents) showed overall higher values of DNA strand breaks in the exposed subjects in comparison with the unexposed. In summary, our systematic scoping review strengthens the relevance of the use of the comet assay in assessing DNA damage in human biomonitoring studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Ladeira
- H&TRC-Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL-Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, 1990-096 Lisbon, Portugal
- NOVA National School of Public Health, Public Health Research Centre, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1600-560 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Peter Møller
- Department of Public Health, Section of Environmental Health, University of Copenhagen, 1172 Copenhagen, Denmark;
| | - Lisa Giovannelli
- Department NEUROFARBA, Section Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy;
| | - Goran Gajski
- Division of Toxicology, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (G.G.); (M.G.)
| | - Anja Haveric
- Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Sarajevo, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
| | - Ezgi Eyluel Bankoglu
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany; (E.E.B.); (H.S.)
| | - Amaya Azqueta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, 31009 Pamplona, Spain;
| | - Marko Gerić
- Division of Toxicology, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (G.G.); (M.G.)
| | - Helga Stopper
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany; (E.E.B.); (H.S.)
| | - José Cabêda
- Guarda Nacional Republicana, Destacamento Territorial de Vila Franca de Xira, Núcleo de Proteção Ambiental, 1500-124 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Fernanda S. Tonin
- Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, Universidad de Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain;
| | - Andrew Collins
- Department of Nutrition, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway;
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Cheng CA, Ching TC, Tsai SW, Chuang KJ, Chuang HC, Chang TY. Exposure and health risk assessment of indoor volatile organic compounds in a medical university. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 213:113644. [PMID: 35697085 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are used for experiments at universities, and most of them contain benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and an extraction solvent of dichloromethane. This study aimed to investigate the indoor concentrations of these five compounds in different locations on campus and to evaluate possible health risks for faculty members and students in a medical university. We selected 10 locations as sampling sites to conduct 4-h monitoring sessions on weekdays each season during 2019-2020. We used a 6-liter canister to collect air samples and analyzed these five VOCs via gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector. Monte Carlo simulation was performed to evaluate the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks of these five VOCs. We found that dichloromethane was the most highly detected compound (median: 621.07 μg/m3; range: 44.01-8523.91 μg/m3), and the Department of Medicine had the highest concentration of the total of these VOCs among all of the locations (median: 5595.29 μg/m3; range: 1565.67-7398.66 μg/m3). The median carcinogenic risks of dichloromethane and benzene were 6.36 × 10-5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.83 × 10-6-7.37 × 10-4) and 5.47 × 10-6 (95% CI: 4.03 × 10-7-2.42 × 10-5), respectively, for faculty members, and the lower risks of 3.14 × 10-5 (95% CI: 3.39 × 10-6-3.64 × 10-4) and 2.69 × 10-6 (95% CI: 1.97 × 10-7-1.19 × 10-5) were estimated for the students. The chronic noncarcinogenic risks of four VOCs were less than one, except for dichloromethane with a median hazard index of 1.92 (95% CI: 2.11 × 10-1-2.22 × 101). This study observed the spatial variation in the concentrations of the total of five VOCs and dichloromethane. The carcinogenic risks were classified as being at the possible level, and the noncarcinogenic risk of dichloromethane was greater than the acceptable level. Increasing local exhaust ventilation during the experiment and reducing the using amount of dichloromethane are recommended actions to reduce VOCs exposures in the medical university.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chieh-An Cheng
- Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Chun Ching
- Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Wei Tsai
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Jen Chuang
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Chi Chuang
- School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Ta-Yuan Chang
- Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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Verma N, Pandit S, Gupta PK, Kumar S, Kumar A, Giri SK, Yadav G, Priya K. Occupational health hazards and wide spectrum of genetic damage by the organic solvent fumes at the workplace: A critical appraisal. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:30954-30966. [PMID: 35102507 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-18889-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Long-term exposure to organic solvents is known to affect human health posing serious occupational hazards. Organic solvents are genotoxic, and they can cause genetic changes in the exposed employees' somatic or germ cells. Chemicals such as benzene, toluene, and gasoline induce an excessive amount of genotoxicity results either in genetic polymorphism or culminates in deleterious mutations when concentration crosses the threshold limits. The impact of genotoxicity is directly related to the time of exposure, types, and quantum of solvent. Genotoxicity affects almost all the physiological systems, but the most vulnerable ones are the nervous system, reproductive system, and blood circulatory system. Based on the available literature report, we propose to evaluate the outcomes of such chemicals on the exposed humans at the workplace. Attempts would be made to ascertain if the long-term exposure makes a person resistant to such chemicals. This may seem to be a far-fetched idea but has not been studied. The health prospect of this study is envisaged to complement the already existing data facilitating a deeper understanding of the genotoxicity across the population. This would also demonstrate if it correlates with the demographic profile of the population and contributes to comorbidity and epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Verma
- Deptt. of Life Sciences, SBSR, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, 201310, India
| | - Soumya Pandit
- Deptt. of Life Sciences, SBSR, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, 201310, India
| | - Piyush Kumar Gupta
- Deptt. of Life Sciences, SBSR, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, 201310, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- Deptt. of Life Sciences, SBSR, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, 201310, India
| | - Anil Kumar
- Center of Medical Biotechnology, Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak Haryana, HR, 124001, India
| | - Shiv Kumar Giri
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi, HP, India
| | - Gulab Yadav
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi, HP, India
| | - Kanu Priya
- Deptt. of Life Sciences, SBSR, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, 201310, India.
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The genotoxicity of an organic solvent mixture: A human biomonitoring study and translation of a real-scenario exposure to in vitro. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 116:104726. [PMID: 32659246 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2020.104726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate occupational exposure to a styrene and xylene mixture through environmental exposure assessment and identify the potential genotoxic effects through biological monitoring. Secondly, we also exposed human peripheral blood cells in vitro to both xylene and styrene either alone or in mixture at concentrations found in occupational settings in order to understand their mechanism of action. The results obtained by air monitoring were below the occupational exposure limits for both substances. All biomarkers of effect, except for nucleoplasmic bridges, had higher mean values in workers (N = 17) compared to the corresponding controls (N = 17). There were statistically significant associations between exposed individuals and the presence of nuclear buds and oxidative damage. As for in vitro results, there was no significant influence on primary DNA damage in blood cells as evaluated by the comet assay. On the contrary, we did observe a significant increase of micronuclei and nuclear buds, but not nucleoplasmic bridges upon in vitro exposure. Taken together, both styrene and xylene have the potential to induce genomic instability either alone or in combination, showing higher effects when combined. The obtained data suggested that thresholds for individual chemicals might be insufficient for ensuring the protection of human health.
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Brown KK, Norton AE, Neu DT, Shaw PB. Robotic direct reading device with spatial, temporal, and PID sensors for laboratory VOC exposure assessment. JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE 2019; 16:717-726. [PMID: 31532332 DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2019.1657580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluated a novel robotic direct reading method that used a real-time location system to measure the spatial-concentration distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a chemistry laboratory. The CEMWIP II is a custom-made sensor that measures VOCs, temperature, humidity, and location, sending data wirelessly in real time to a remote location for display and storage. In this study, the CEMWIP II device was mounted on a robotic platform to create a CEMWIP II-mobile platform. The autonomous mobile platform was released from a corner of the room and allowed to travel randomly along an open floor with the goal of characterizing the spatial distribution of VOCs and identifying their sources in the laboratory. The experiment consisted of 12 runs made of permutations of four corner release sites and four beaker locations, with two beakers containing water and two containing the solvent acetone. The autonomous mobile platform was tasked with locating the two beakers of acetone. The sensor had a detection limit of 100 ppb and the confidence of detecting a source within a 1.46 m2 area was p = 0.0005 by ANOVA. The CEMWIP II-mobile platform was able to measure the spatial distribution of VOCs within a laboratory that were associated with open solvent containers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amie E Norton
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
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Hopf NB, Bolognesi C, Danuser B, Wild P. Biological monitoring of workers exposed to carcinogens using the buccal micronucleus approach: A systematic review and meta-analysis. MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2019; 781:11-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2019.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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do Vale LDO, da Silva VHP, de Almeida FR, Ribeiro DA, da Silva DM. Evaluation of genotoxic and cytotoxic effects in buccal mucosa cells of welders in the cities of Cubatão and Santos, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Rev Bras Med Trab 2017; 15:303-309. [PMID: 32377585 DOI: 10.5327/z1679443520170012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Approximately 5 million workers are estimated to be occupationally exposed to welding fumes worldwide. Nickel and chromium are genotoxic metals found in welding fumes, therefore welders are exposed to these metals at the workplace. Objective The objective of the present study was to investigate the frequency of cytotoxic and genetic damage in cells harvested from the oral mucosa of welders and also from a group of workers not exposed to metallic fumes. Methods A total of 44 individuals, divided into 2 groups - welders and non-welders - were compared using the micronucleus assay technique and cell death (pyknosis, karyorrhexis and karyolysis) on buccal mucosa cells of welding workers. The examined cells were stained with Feulgen/Fast Green. Results: Welders exhibited higher frequency (p<0.05) of cytotoxicity than the group of volunteers not exposed to metallic fumes. Conclusion The results of this preliminary study suggest that the frequency of cytotoxic damage in buccal mucosa cells might be higher among welders compared to non-welders.
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Cipolla M, Izzotti A, Ansaldi F, Durando P, Piccardo MT. Volatile Organic Compounds in Anatomical Pathology Wards: Comparative and Qualitative Assessment of Indoor Airborne Pollution. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2017; 14:E609. [PMID: 28590436 PMCID: PMC5486295 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14060609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The impact of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on indoor air quality and on human health is widely recognized. However, VOC contamination in hospital indoor air is rarely studied and chemical compounds that singularly do not show high toxicity are not submitted to any regulation. This study aimed to compare VOC contamination in two different anatomical pathology wards in the same hospital. Hydrocarbons, alcohols, and terpenes were sampled by passive diffusive samplers. Analytical tests were performed by thermal desorption coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry detector. Results highlighted a different VOC pollution in the two wards, due to the structural difference of the buildings and different organizational systems. The scarcity of similar data in the literature shows that the presence of VOCs in pathology wards is an underestimated problem. We believe that, because of the adverse effects that VOCs may have on the human health, this topic is worth exploring further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Cipolla
- Mutagenesis Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino IST, Genoa 16132, Italy.
| | - Alberto Izzotti
- Mutagenesis Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino IST, Genoa 16132, Italy.
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa 16132, Italy.
| | - Filippo Ansaldi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa 16132, Italy.
- Hospital Direction, IRCCS AOU San Martino IST, Genoa 16132, Italy.
| | - Paolo Durando
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa 16132, Italy.
- Occupational Medicine Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino IST, Genoa 16132, Italy.
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Comet assay: an essential tool in toxicological research. Arch Toxicol 2016; 90:2315-36. [DOI: 10.1007/s00204-016-1767-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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