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Urinary Biomarkers in Charcoal Workers Exposed to Wood Smoke in Bahia State, Brazil

¹ FUNDACENTRO-CRBA, CEP 41820-770, Salvador/BA, Brazil; ² Departments of Epidemiology and of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; ³ Environmental Carcinogenesis Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; ⁴ Department of Legal Medicine, Ethics and Occupational Health, University of São Paulo, School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil; and ⁵ Department of Preventive Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

Requests for reprints: David M. DeMarini, US EPA, B143-06, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. Phone: (919) 541 1510; Fax: (919) 541 0694. E-mail: demarini.david{at}epa.gov

Charcoal is an important source of energy for domestic and industrial use in many countries. Brazil is the largest producer of charcoal in the world, with 350,000 workers linked to the production and transportation of charcoal. To evaluate the occupational exposure to wood smoke and potential genotoxic effects on workers in charcoal production, we studied urinary mutagenicity in Salmonella YG1041 +S9 and urinary levels of 2-naphthol and 1-pyrenol in 154 workers of northeastern Bahia. Workers were classified into three categories according to their working location, and information about socio-demographic data, diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking was obtained using a standard questionnaire. Spot urine samples were collected to evaluate urinary mutagenicity and urinary metabolites. Urinary mutagenicity increased significantly with exposure to wood smoke and was modified by smoking. The prevalence odds ratio was 5.31, and the 95% confidence interval was 1.85; 15.27 for urinary mutagenicity in the highly exposed group relative to the nonexposed group. The levels of urinary metabolites increased monotonically with wood smoke exposure and were associated with the GSTM1 null genotype, which was determined previously. The prevalence odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for higher levels of 2-naphtol among the highly exposed was 17.13 (6.91; 42.44) and for 1-hydroxyprene 11.55 (5.32; 25.08) when compared with nonexposed workers. Urinary 2-naphthol was the most sensitive indicator of wood smoke exposure. This is the first reported measurement of internal exposure to wood smoke among charcoal workers, and the results showed that these workers receive a systemic exposure to genotoxic compounds.

Key Words: urinary biomarkers • naphthol • hydroxyprene • wood smoke • charcoal workers • urinary mutagenicity

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