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DNA damage in workers exposed to formaldehyde at concentrations below occupational exposure limits |
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| Authors: | Rezvan Zendehdel Fatemeh Javani Jouni Behnam Hajipour Zahra Panjali Homa Kheiri |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Occupational Hygiene, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;2. Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran;3. Department of Occupational Hygiene, Deputy Chancellor of Health, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran |
| Abstract: | Formaldehyde has been classified in group 1 as a potential source of human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In this study, we evaluated the DNA damage in workers who were occupationally exposed to formaldehyde during the manufacture of melamine dinnerware. Age, sex, smoking habits, and socioeconomic status were matched by the controls (n = 34) of workers not occupationally exposed to formaldehyde. The median value of formaldehyde time weighted average exposure in three workshops was 0.086 mg/m3. No significant difference was observed between sex and smoking habit in the assessed workers. Alkaline comet assay of peripheral blood lymphocytes was used to determine the DNA damage in the subjects. Olive moment was significantly higher in the exposed group compared with the control group. Overall, the results suggest that respiratory exposure to low concentrations of formaldehyde causes DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocyte. Therefore, exposure to formaldehyde should be reduced to the lowest possible level. |
| Keywords: | Formaldehyde occupational exposure comet assay melamine dinnerware |