Air Quality Criteria for Lead Volume II of II - (NEPIS)(EPA) - US ...

AX6-183
Table AX6-7.1. Recent Studies of Lead Exposure and Genotoxicity
Reference, Study
Location, and
Period Study Description Pb Measurement Findings and Interpretation
Europe
Fracasso et al. (2002)
Italy
Case-control design.
37 workers employed at a battery plant.
29 student and office worker volunteers
with no known occupational exposure to
genotoxins.
Peripheral lymphocytes isolated from
whole blood.
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)
production, cellular GSH level, PKC
isoforms, and DNA breaks (via comet)
assayed.
ANOVA and logistic regression used to
compare workers vs. healthy volunteers.
Adjusted for age, alcohol use, and
smoking.
Battery plant workers. Blood Pb
categories used for some
comparisons, with 35 µg/100mL as cutpoints.
Mean blood Pb 39.6 µg/100mL for
workers, 4.4 µg/100mL for
volunteers.
OR (95% CI)
Workers vs. Volunteers:
ROS: 1.43 (0.79, 2.60)
DNA breaks (tail moment): 1.07 (1.02, 1.12)
GSH: 0.64 (0.49, 0.82)
PKC α reduced in workers, atypical PKC unchanged vs.
volunteers (no statistics provided).
Means (SE) via blood Pb category for ROS and GSH:
35 µg/100 mL 5.4 (0.5) and 9.2 (1.2)
Major analyses controlled for age, smoking, and alcohol intake.
Analyses by blood Pb category not controlled for age, smoking,
or alcohol intake but these factors said not to influence endpoint
and/or results “significantly.” No control for potential
coexposures.