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5429213 
Journal Article 
Application of Biomarkers in Heavily Polluted Industrialized Areas of Countries of Central and Eastern Europe 
Motykiewicz, G 
1995 
1 
Toxicology
ISSN: 0300-483X
EISSN: 1879-3185 
101 
1-2 
117-123 
WOS:A1995RN09500012 
A review on the use of biomarkers in assessing the effects of environmental carcinogen exposure on the health of populations residing in and near highly polluted industrial regions of Central and Eastern Europe was presented. Molecular epidemiological studies have been performed on the populations from the heavily polluted countries between the Baltic and Black Seas. A study conducted in the industrial region of Silesia, Poland to determine the effects of environmental contaminant exposure on human health was described. The markers used for the assessment of xenobiotic exposures included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) adducts as measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, aromatic adducts in DNA as determined by phosphorus-32 radiolabeling, sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) by cytogenetic methods, and the activation of the ras oncogene encoded p21 protein using molecular biology. Significant elevations in PAH/DNA adducts, aromatic adducts, and cytogenetic aberrations were observed in residents of Silesia compared to countryside referents. The study served as a model for the use of biomarkers in cancer risk assessment, although a major fault of the study was the use of stationary sampling techniques to determine exposure levels. The author concludes that biomarkers can be used in epidemiological studies of the internal and biologically effective doses of xenobiotics, as well as in predicting cancer risks. 
MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY; POLLUTION; INDUSTRIAL REGION; ENVIRONMENTAL CARCINOGEN; BIOLOGICAL MARKER; CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE