DNA Adducts in Granulocytes of Hospital Workers Exposed to Ethylene Oxide

Details

• Personal Author:
  Boeniger, Mark F. ; Giese RW ; Kao CY ; Petersen, Martin R. ; Schulte, Paul A. ; Strauss GH ; Wiencke JK ; Yong LC
• Description:
  Background: Ethylene oxide (EtO), an important industrial chemical intermediate and sterilant, is classified as a human carcinogen. Occupational EtO exposure in many countries is regulated at 1 ppm (8-hr TWA), but levels of EtO-DNA adducts in humans with low occupational EtO exposures have not been reported. Methods We examined the formation of N7-(2'-hydroxyethyl)guanine (N7-HEG), a major DNA adduct of EtO, in 58 EtO-exposed sterilizer operators and six nonexposed workers from ten hospitals. N7-HEG was quantified in granulocyte DNA (0.1-11.5 mu/gr) by a highly sensitive and specific gas chromatography-electron capture-mass spectrometry method. Cumulative exposure to EtO (ppm-hour) was estimated during the 4-month period before the collection of blood samples. Results: There was considerable inter-individual variability in the levels of N7-HEG with a range of 1.6-241.3 adducts/10(7)nucleotides. The mean levels in the nonexposed, low (< or equal to 32 ppm-hour), and high (>32 ppm-hour) EtO-exposure groups were 3.8, 16.3, and 20.3 adducts/107 nucleotides, respectively, after the adjustment for cigarette smoking and other potential confounders, but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: This study has demonstrated for the first time, detectable levels of N7-HEG adducts in granulocytes of hospital workers with EtO exposures at levels less than the current U.S. standard of 1 ppm (8-hr TWA). A nonsignificant increase in adduct levels with increasing EtO exposure indicates that further studies of EtO-exposed workers are needed to clarify the relationship between EtO exposure and N7-HEG adduct formation. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Carcinogens Chemistry Ethylenes Genetics Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Carcinogenesis Carcinogenicity Chemical-reactions Gene-mutation Genetic-factors Humans
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; EID - Education and Information Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  293-302
• Volume:
  50
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20031810
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2007 Apr; 50(4):293-302
• Contact Point Address:
  Lee C. Yong, Industrywide Studies Branch, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 4676 Columbia Parkway, Mail Stop R-15, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  lay7@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ethylene oxide (CAS RN 75-21-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2ee95e4125dbfdf0d963182c9a55f857e36b3d493bd7e2daca0c61bb53ad58b3d26d84406b316f7f1af89aafc79214272e7e9d8eacd13c09338b532fd996547a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185961/cdc_185961_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 134.33 KB ]