Assessment of urinary mutagens presence in a population of non smokers

The paper presents the early results of a study involving a group of 312 non smoking and not professionally exposed subjects (144 males and 168 females) in order to evaluate the probable presence of urinary mutagens possibly derived from aspecific exposures. Urine samples were assayed by the Ames test on the YG1024 Salmonella typhimurium strain in the presence of S9 mix with plate incorporation method with preincubation. At the moment of sample collection, the subjects were invited to fill a questionnaire on their main characteristics and lifestyle. On the basis of laboratory data analysis, it emerged that, on 288 samples with a valuable mutagenic activity, 20 urinary extracts (8 of which were males and 12 were females) showed mutagenicity levels twice as much as spontaneous revertants. Diet and indoor exposure to passive smoking, fireplace and cooking fume exposure seemed to play a major role among the lifestyle behaviours investigated in generating positive mutagenic response with a statistically significant difference between positive and negative samples induction (Chi square, P = 0.0057 and P = 0.0168 respectively). After correction of induced revertants by means of creatinine excretion determination, it appeared that females, who had the higher mean urinary mutagenic activity, showed a mutagenicity level twice as much as men (364 ± 491 revertants/mmole creatinine for males against 605 ± 868 revertants/mmole creatinine in females, Mann-Whitney U-test, z = -3.97, P inf. 0.0001) possibly in consequence of their greater cooking fumes exposure. The study, that carefully evaluated the characteristics of involved subjects, reveals the presence, even though modest, of mutagens in urine of an apparently not significantly exposed population. In addition, standardization of method leads to suppose little feasible a confounding influence of considered features. Moreover, it would be therefore rather interesting to study the effect of low exposure time persistence

[Reference values in biological monitoring of occupational exposure to mutagens and carcinogens]

This work reports values of biological markers indicating mutagenic/carcinogenic risk in professionally non-exposed populations. The main confounding factors for most of these biomarkers are tobacco smoke, diet and air pollution. With the sole exception of compounds specifically present in work environments, in which determination in biological fluids of unchanged substances or their metabolites has high sensitivity and specificity (e.g., some aromatic amines), other biomarkers (urinary mutagenicity, DNA adducts and cytogenetic analyses), in order to be used properly as reference values, require ad hoc study of suitable control groups paired for the main confounding factors. Analytical determination of some protein adducts appears to be promising, due to its sensitivity and specificity

[CYP1A2, NAT2, and GSTM1 phenotype/genotype modulate human exposure and various environmental mutagens: our experience]

Since some years in our research group has been studied the influence of metabolic genotypes on two biomarkers of genotoxic risk (BPDE-DNA adducts and urinary mutagenicity) in humans exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and aromatic amines. The aim was to identify possible genetic susceptible factors capable of modulating individual response to these carcinogens. Humans exposed to PAHs: dermatological patients therapeutically treated with coal tar based ointments (CT), coke oven workers and chimney sweeps. People exposed to aromatic amines will be volunteers after a meal of pan-fried hamburgers and smokers. An overview of the results we found until now will be presented

Aumento del livello di mutageni urinari, correlato all'esposizione professionale ad IPA, in lavoratori di coKeria non fumatori

none4noneS. Lupi; S. Pavanello; E. Clonfero; P. GregorioLupi, Silvia; Pavanello, Sofia; E., Clonfero; Gregorio, Pasqual

Misura del LAeq del rumore impulsivo: confronto tra vari tipi di dosimetri

Data l'estrema tentazione, per chi opera nel campo dell'Igiene Industriale, di usare strumenti come i dosimetri di rumore che hanno dei requisiti ottimali visto il loro basso costo e la loro indossabilit\ue0 da parte del lavoratore per tutta una giornata lavorativa, permettendo in conclusione di risolvere semplicemente il problema della valutazione del rischio, la ricerca sperimentale ha voluto verificare se alcuni dosimetri, attualmente presenti sul mercato italiano, possiedono sufficienti caratteristiche per fornire un attendibile Laeq in presenza di rumori impulsivi. Infatti solo in caso di risposta affermativa \ue8 presumibile individuare dal Laeq del dosimetro il rischio di sordit\ue0 professionale basato sul Principio di Uguale Quantit\ue0 di Energia