Cytogenetic effects of exposure to zirconium oxychloride in human leucocyte cultures

The addition of different concentrations of aqueous zirconium oxychloride solution to human peripheral blood leucocyte cultures, obtained from healthy donors, increased the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the cells compared with untreated controls. The degree of enhancement in the occurrence of aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges was directly related to the concentrations used. The most common aberrations were chromatid breaks. The clastogenic effects of this metal in human leucocyte cultures have been reported for the first time.