Abstract
The present study was conducted to monitor the cytogenetic effects of chronic exposure to chemicals in different laboratory analysis workers. Fifty-seven persons (30 women and 27 men) working in 21 clinical analysis laboratories participated in this study. A questionnaire was used to collect data about individual exposure to chemicals in each laboratory (types of chemicals, applied methodologies, number of treatments per year ...). Cytotoxicity and DNA damage in human lymphocyte cells were evaluated using two predictive biomarkers of cancer risk: the chromosome aberration (CA) and micronucleus (MN) tests. The results of the professional exposed group were compared to a group of 57 controls (30 women and 27 men). The difference in means of CA and micronucleated cells counted between cases (1.35%0 and 8.29%o, respectively) and controls (0.43%0 and 3%0, respectively) was highly significant (P<0.01). The correlation between age and CA and micronucleated cells counted was positively significant (P<0.05) both in cases and controls. The results from the present study provide a preliminary suggestion that the increase in DNA damage is associated with an increase in cancer risk within an exposed population.