Occupational genotoxicity assessment by mutagenicity assays

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Toxicology
• Genetics

Background:

• Occupational exposure to airborne mutagens is a concern in industrial settings.
• Thermal decomposition of oils can release potentially mutagenic compounds.
• Assessing mutagenicity in environmental samples and biological matrices is crucial for worker safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate mutagenic activity in the indoor environment of a glass factory.
• To identify the source of increased mutagenicity near machinery.
• To compare the efficacy of modified bacterial assays in detecting mutagens in exposed workers' urine.

Main Methods:

• Mutagenic activity was assessed using the Ames test and gene conversion, point mutation, and mitochondrial mutability assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• Air samples were collected near factory machinery.
• Urinary concentrates from exposed workers were analyzed using microsuspension assays with bacterial strains TA98, TA100, YG1024, and YG1029.

Main Results:

• Mutagenic activity was elevated in air samples collected near glass factory machinery.
• The increased mutagenicity is attributed to the thermal decomposition of oils.
• Significant differences were observed in mutagen detection between eukaryotic and prokaryotic test systems.
• Modified bacterial assays demonstrated effectiveness in detecting mutagens in workers' urine.

Conclusions:

• Thermal decomposition of oils is a likely source of mutagenicity in the glass factory environment.
• Modified bacterial assays, particularly those with enhanced O-acetyltransferase activity, are valuable tools for biomonitoring of occupational exposure.
• Eukaryotic and prokaryotic mutagenicity assays provide complementary information on genotoxic risk assessment.