[Association between trichloroethylene exposure and chromosomal damage in peripheral lymphocytes among occupational...

To investigate the association between the exposure of trichloroethylene (TCE) and chromosomal damage of peripheral lymphocyte of workers.

Ninety-one workers exposed to TCE and 59 controls were recruited. Occupational history, age, sex, smoking and alcohol using status of all subjects were collected by questionnaire. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in urine was detected as biomarkers of exposure. Micronucleus, nucleoplasmic bridges and nuclear buds in the smear of peripheral blood lymphocytes were counted as indicators of chromosomal damage in terms of cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) test.

The distributions of age, gender, smoking and alcohol consumption were not significantly different between TCE exposed workers and controls. TCA levels in TCE exposed workers were significantly higher than those in controls (57.5 versus 0.9 mg/L, P < 0.01). No statistically significant difference was observed between the frequencies of micronucleus or nucleoplasmic bridges in TCE exposed workers and controls. Frequencies of nuclear buds in TCE exposed workers were [(1.6 +/- 1.0)%], which were significantly higher (P = 0. 05) than those of controls [(1.2 +/- 0.8) per hundred]. The increase of nuclear buds was most pronounced in the workers with higher TCA (> or = 50.0 mg/ L) or longer occupational history (> or = 1.8 years). There was a significantly higher frequency of micronucleus [(1.8 +/- 0.9) per hundred] in the workers with a higher TCA level (> or = 50.0 mg/L) than the controls [(1.4 +/- 0.7) per hundred, P = 0.05]. No effect of age, gender, smoking and alcohol using on frequencies of micronucleus, nucleoplasmic bridges or nuclear buds was found.

TCE exposure could induce some chromosomal damage on occupational exposed workers and nuclear buds might be an effective biomarker for TCE exposure.