Resumen

RIVERO, Exila et al. Hemoglobin adducts and micronuclei in hospital workers exposed to ethylene oxide: Venezuela. Salud de los Trabajadores [online]. 2009, vol.17, n.1, pp.7-22. ISSN 1315-0138.

Ethylene oxide (EO) is a genotoxic carcinogen, able to react with biological macromolecules such as hemoglobin and deoxyrebonucleic acid (DNA) to form N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine (HEV) and 7-(2-hydroxyethyl)-guanine (7-HEG), respectively; these compounds are known as adducts. We evaluated biomarkers of effect and exposure workers from the central sterilization unit of a public hospital. The purpose of this descriptive study was to evaluate 10 EO-exposed employees (GE), ranging in age from 24 to 56 years, and 9 control workers from a public university (GC) of similar age.. The mean value of N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine (HEV)(pmol/mol globin) in the GE group was 6758.6 ± 4143.6 and 465.7 ± 484.5 in the GC group; for micronuclei (MN) in lymphocytes (MNx1000 cells), the mean value in GE was 4.8 ± 2.5 and for GC it was 0.7 ± 0.8 in GC (p< 0,0001). Thioether concentrations (mmoles SH/mol creatinine), were also significantly higher in GE (38.5 ± 22.6) than in GC (23.2±8.8) (p=0,04). Standard hematological indices (hemoglobin and hematocrit) were lower in GE than in GC (p=0.03 and 0.04, respectively). These results agreed with some prior occupational biomonitoring studies that demonstrate the importance of using biomarker batteries in the evaluation of exposure to EO.

Palabras clave : Ethylene oxide [toxicity]; Occupational risks; Risk factors; Occupational heatlh.