DNA Strand Breaks, Oxidative Damage, and 1-OH Pyrene in Roofers with Coal-Tar Pitch Dust and/or Asphalt Fume Exposure

Details

• Personal Author:
  DeBord, D. Gayle ; Hayden C ; Marlow D ; Mathias P ; Reid TM ; Rinehart, Richard D. ; Toraason MA ; Werren D
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE: To determine the potential for asphalt fume exposure to increase DNA damage, we conducted a cross-sectional study of roofers involved in the application of roofing asphalt. METHODS: DNA strand breaks and the ratio of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) to 2-deoxyguanosine (dG) were measured in peripheral blood leukocytes of roofers. In addition, urinary excretion of 8-OHdG and 8-epi-prostaglandin F2alpha (8-epi-PGF) was also measured. The study population consisted of 26 roofers exposed to roofing asphalt and 15 construction workers not exposed to asphalt during the past 5 years. A subset of asphalt roofers (n = 19) was exposed to coal-tar pitch dust (coal tar) during removal of existing roofs prior to applying hot asphalt. Personal air monitoring was performed for one work-week to measure exposure to total particulates, benzene-soluble fraction of total particulates, and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). Urinary 1-OH-pyrene levels were measured as an internal biomarker of PAC exposure. RESULTS: Full-shift breathing zone measurements for total particulates, benzene-solubles and PACs were significantly higher for coal-tar exposed workers than for roofers not exposed to coal tar. Similarly, urinary 1-OH-pyrene levels were higher in coal-tar exposed roofers than roofers not exposed to coal tar. Total particulates or benzene-soluble fractions were not associated with urinary 1-OH-pyrene, but PAC exposure was highly correlated with urinary 1-OH-pyrene. When stratified by 1-OH-pyrene excretion, DNA strand breaks increased in a dose-dependent manner, and leukocyte 8-OHdG/dG decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Significant changes in DNA damage appeared to be linked to PACs from coal-tar exposure, although asphalt fume alone was associated with a small but significant increase in urinary 1-OH-pyrene and DNA strand breaks. CONCLUSIONS: Results are consistent with previous reports that asphalt or coal-tar exposure can cause DNA damage. Urinary 8-epi-PGF remained relatively constant during the week for virtually all subjects, regardless of exposure indicating that neither asphalt nor coal-tar exposure induces an overt oxidative stress. A small, but statistically significant increase in 8OHdG was evident in end-of-week urine samples compared with start-of-week urine samples in roofers exposed to coal-tar. The increase in urinary 8OHdG coupled with the decrease in leukocyte 8-OHdG/dG, suggests that coal-tar exposure induces protective or repair mechanisms that result in reduced levels of steady-state oxidative-DNA damage. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Tar Construction Industry DNA Hydrocarbons Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  1-OH Pyrene 8-Epi-prostaglandin2x 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine Asphalt-fumes Asphalt Fume Author Keywords: DNA Strand Breaks Coal-tar-pitch Coal Tar Pitch DNA-damage Exposure-levels Oxidative-processes Oxidative DNA Damage Roofers Roofing-and-sheet-metal-work Roofing-industry

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• ISSN:
  0340-0131
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  396-404
• Volume:
  74
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20021899
• Citation:
  Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2001 Aug; 74(6):396-404
• Contact Point Address:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA
• Editor(s):
  Lehnert G
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Internatinal Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7baab7ecc621126f139debc835facf3250a0d83c1b213ec6381eec626c5a113689af3ac5786f5392c0ef10e36dc24cc4a3949f9de6569e4a5e24a199863863f2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/198985/cdc_198985_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 162.45 KB ]