US EPA

1351380 

Journal Article 

CHROMOSOMAL-ABERRATIONS IN CHILDREN EXPOSED TO HIGH-CONCENTRATION OF ARSENIC IN DRINKING-WATER 

Paldy, A; Farkas, I; Markus, V; Gundy, S 

1992 

1 

Mutation Research
ISSN: 0027-5107
EISSN: 1873-135X 

EMIC/87496 

271 

2 

194-194 

eng 

WOS:A1992HN59700196 

CHROMOSOMAL ANALYSIS WAS CARRIED OUT IN 12 CHILDREN AGED 11-17 YEARS FROM A VILLAGE WITH A VERY HIGH ARSENIC (AS) CONCENTRATION IN THE DRINKING WATER FROM AN ARTESIAN LAYER UP TO 1987. SINCE THEN THE 0.27 MG/L AS CONCENTRATION HAS BEEN DECREASED TO 0.10 MG/L, BUT THIS VALUE IS STILL TWICE HIGHER THAN THE HUNGARIAN STANDARD LIMIT, I.E., 0.05 MG/L. AS MATCHED CONTROL WE USED CHILDREN FROM ANOTHER VILLAGE, WHERE THE AS CONTENT OF DRINKING WATER IS 0.01 MG/L. THE EXPOSED CHILDREN WERE CHOSEN ON THE BASIS OF THE AS CONTENT OF THEIR HAIR, MEASURED IN 1982 (ABOVE 4 UG/G). AT THE TIME OF THE ANALYSIS IN 1989/90 THE AS CONTENT OF HAIR WAS AGAIN MEASURED, IN AFFECTED CHILDREN IT WAS A MEAN VALUE OF 0.22 UG/G VS 0.18 UG/G IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE NUMBER OF ABERRANT CELLS WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT (P 0.01)) IN EXPOSED CHILDREN WITH A MEAN OF 4.4% VS. 1.3% IN CONTROLS. THE PREDOMINATANT TYPE OF ABERRATION N EXPOSED CHILDREN WAS CHROMATID-TYPE DELETIONS, BUT THE FREQUENCY OF ACENTRIC FRAGMENTS WAS ALSO HIGHER THAN IN THE CONTROLS. SURPRISINGLY, EXCHANGE-TYPE DICENTRICS AND RINGS WERE ALSO FOUND IN THE AFFECTED GROUP. THE YIELD OF ABERRANT CELLS EXHIBITED A HIGH INTERINDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY (0-10%). SIX OUT OF 12 EXPOSED CHILDREN WERE EXAMINED TWICE WITH A 1-YEAR INTERVAL IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE PERSISTENCE OF CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES. THE RESULTS OF THE REPEATED EXAMINATION SHOWED NO DIFFERENCE IN THE YIELD OF ABERRATIONS.