[Experiences with alkaline filter elution for the detection of DNA damage by genotoxic compounds]

In biological effect monitoring the alkaline filter elution is a suitable method to detect DNA strand breakage and cross-linking in peripheral blood lymphocytes. We applied this method to three groups of workers occupationally exposed to carcinogens: n = 39 welders with exposure to chromium and nickel, n = 20 female shoemakers with exposure to benzene and n = 25 disinfectors in hospitals with exposure to ethylene oxide. In comparison to standardised control groups our results must be interpreted as indicating an increased rate of DNA cross-linking in welders and disinfectors whereas the female shoemakers showed an increased rate of DNA strand breakage. The differences between the results of the exposed groups and the stratified control groups were significant in most cases. We could reexamine 6 shoemakers 4 months after cessation of exposure to benzene; at this moment the results were indicating a clear decrease of the DNA strand breakage. Therefore the method of alkaline filter elution seems to be a valuable tool in biological effect monitoring of groups occupationally or environmentally exposed to carcinogens, especially if the exposure is low, but persistent over a long period.