PAH-DNA adducts in a petrol refinery in Egypt

Epidemiological surveys in occupationally exposed populations postulate that long-term exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is carcinogenic. We studied the ability of PAHs to induce the formation of adducts in the DNA of white blood cells of petrol refinery workers exposed at the workplace. Our study included a random sample of 56 workers exposed to PAHs and 37 non-exposed workers. In the univariate analysis, the DNA adduct level of PAH-exposed workers (42.22 +/- 45.11) was significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared with that in the non-exposed group (20.90 +/- 22.56). However, we could not identify either current smoking or absence of glutathione S-transferase class Mu as possible risk factors for DNA adducts. Linear regression analysis identified degree of exposure to PAHs as the only DNA adducts risk factor. Further research with a larger sample size is under investigation to identify the DNA adduct levels and relationship between the different types of PAHs.