Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Rafiee, Ata
• Delgado-Saborit, Juana Maria
• Sly, Peter D.
• Amiri, Hoda
• Hoseini, Mohammad

Titel

Exploring urinary biomarkers to assess oxidative DNA damage resulting from BTEX exposure in street children

Ist Teil von

• Environmental research, 2022-01, Vol.203, p.111725, Article 111725

Ort / Verlag

Netherlands: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Children are highly susceptible to environmental contaminants as their physiology and some metabolic pathways differ from adults. The present cross-sectional study aimed to assess whether exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o,p-xylene, and m-xylene (BTEX) affects oxidative DNA damage in street children using a biomonitoring approach. Thirty-five boys (7–13 years of age), exposed by working at a busy intersection, and 25 unexposed boys of similar age and living in the neighborhood near the busy intersection were recruited. Urinary un-metabolized BTEX levels were quantified by a headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Urinary malonaldehyde (MDA) was measured with spectrophotometry. Sociodemographic and lifestyle conditions information was collected by interviews using administered questionnaires. Exposed subjects provided urine before (BE) and after work exposure (AE), while unexposed boys gave a single morning sample. Urinary BTEX concentrations in BE samples were similar to unexposed. Concentrations in AE samples were 2.36-fold higher than observed in BE samples (p < 0.05) and higher than those in the unexposed group (p < 0.05). In addition, urinary MDA levels in AE samples were 3.2 and 3.07-times higher than in BE samples and in the unexposed group (p < 0.05). Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increased urinary BTEX and MDA levels in both groups. Our findings confirm that street children working at busy intersections are significantly exposed to BTEX, which is associated with oxidative stress. Implementing protective measures is crucial to reduce exposure and to improve health outcomes in this group. [Display omitted] •Urinary BTEX and MDA levels were measured for the first time in street children.•High urinary BTEX and MDA levels were found in street children after the work shift.•Passive smoking increases urinary BTEX and MDA levels.•Protective measures should be implemented to reduce BTEX exposure and oxidative stress.