Biomonitoring of genotoxic exposure among stainless steel welders

doi:10.1016/0165-1218(92)90255-X

Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology

Volume 279, Issue 2, 16 May 1992, Pages 129-143

https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1218(92)90255-X Get rights and content

Abstract

A biosurvey in the Danish metal industry measured the genotoxic exposure from stainless steel welding. The study comprised measurements of chromosomal aberrations (CA), sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE), unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) in peripheral lymphocytes and serum immunoglobulin G. Environmental monitoring of welding fumes and selected metal oxides, biomonitoring of chromium and nickel in serum and urine and mutagenic activity in urine, and evaluation of semen quality were also done. Manual metal arc (MMA) welding and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding were the dominant welding processes.

A higher frequency of chromosomal aberrations, classified as translocations, double minutes, exchanges and rings, was observed in stainless steel welders than in non-welders. SCE was lower in welders working with both MMA and TIG welding than in reference persons. N-Acetoxy-N-acetylaminofluorene (NA-AAF)-induced UDS was lower in 23 never-smoking welders than in 19 unexposed never-smokers.

Smoking was a confounding factor resulting in significantly higher CA, SCE, NA-AAF binding to DNA and mutagenic activity in urine. Age was also a confounder: CA, SCE, NA-AAF binding to DNA and UDS increased significantly with age.

No significant correlation between SCE and CA or between CA and UDS was found. UDS decreased significantly with increasing lymphocyte count and a higher lymphocyte count was seen in MMA welders than in reference persons and in smokers than in non-smokers. Differences in the composition among lymphocytes in exposed persons compared with non-exposed are suggested.

MMA welding gave the highest exposure to chromium, an increased number of chromosomal aberrations and a decrease in SCE when compared with TIG welding. Consequently improvements in the occupational practice of stainless steel welding with MMA is recommended.

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^∗: Present address: Danish Technological Institute, Taastrup (Denmark).

^∗∗: Present address: Ministry of the Environment, National Environmental Research Institute, Charlottenlund (Denmark).

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Biomonitoring of genotoxic exposure among stainless steel welders

Abstract

Mutation Res.

Mutation Res.

Trends Biochem. Sci.

Mutation Res.

Mutation Res.

Reprod. Toxicol.

Mutation Res.

Mutation Res.

Mutation Res.

Mutation Res.

Anal. Biochem.

Indicators for assessing exposure and biological effects of genotoxic chemicals. Consensus and technical reports, Commission of the European Communities

Methods for detecting carcinogens and mutagens with the Salmonella/mammalian-microsome mutagenicity test

Occupational chronic exposure to metals, II. Nickel exposure of stainless steel welders — biological monitoring

Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health

Occupational chronic exposure to metals, I. Chromium exposure of stainless steel welders — biological monitoring

Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health.

Eine Mikromethode zur Kreatininbestimmung

Clin. Chim. Acta.

Chromium in biological samples of low-level exposed stainless steel and mild steel welders

Arch. Environ. Health.

Concentration of nickel and chromium in serum: influence of blood sampling technique

J. Trace Elem. Electrolytes Health Dis.

Enzymatic digestion of whole blood for improved determination of cadmium, nickel and chromium by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry: measurement in rheumatoid arthritis and normal humans

Acta Pharmacol. Toxicol.

Mechanism of chromium metabolism and genotoxicity

Life Chem. Rep.

Urine mutagenicity of steel workers exposed to coke oven emissions

Carcinogenesis

Chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes of welders and characterization of their exposure by biological samples analysis

J. Occup. Med.

The assessment of the carcinogenicity of chromium and nickel containing welding fumes, Phase I: In vitro and in vivo genotoxicity and cytotoxicity studies

Turbidimetrische Bestimmung von IgA, IgG, IgM, C3 und C4 mit dem Boehringer-Mannheim/Hitachi-705-Analysensystem

Lab. Med.

Welding fumes and chromium compounds in cell transformation assays

J. Appl. Toxicol.

Interindividual variation among humans in carcinogen metabolism, DNA adduct formation and DNA repair

Carcinogenesis.

Mutagenicity of fume particles from stainless steel welding

Scand. J. Work Environ. Health

A chromosome study among stainless steel welders

J. Occup. Med.