Open AccessStudies of biological and chemical monitoring of low-level exposure to ethylene oxide.
Author(s) -
Fabio Sarto,
Tongmei Ma,
Rosella Tomanin,
Giovanni Battista Bartolucci,
Osterman-Golkar Sm,
L. Ehrenberg
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of work, environment and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.621
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1795-990X
pISSN - 0355-3140
DOI - 10.5271/sjweh.1733
Subject(s) - ethylene oxide , ethylene , micronucleus test , hemoglobin , chemistry , oxide , sterilization (economics) , toxicology , toxicity , biochemistry , biology , organic chemistry , copolymer , catalysis , polymer , economics , foreign exchange , monetary economics , foreign exchange market
Ten sanitary workers exposed to concentrations of ethylene oxide below 1 ppm were studied to determine whether effects could be observed at low exposure levels. A significant increase in the number of sister chromatid exchanges in cultured lymphocytes was found only for five subjects with relatively high exposure in the sterilization area. However, it was not possible to separate clearly the effect of smoking from that of ethylene oxide exposure. No increase in the frequencies of micronuclei in lymphocytes and buccal cells was found. The level of 2-hydroxyethyl adducts to the N-terminal valines in hemoglobin responded in a reliable fashion to chronic ethylene oxide exposure and smoking. Furthermore, measurement of levels of 2-hydroxyethyl adducts to the N-terminal valines in hemoglobin made it possible to reconstruct the dynamics of a leakage of ethylene oxide which involved three workers.