A Comparison of the Human Buccal Cell Assay and the Pollen Abortion Assay in Assessing Genotoxicity in an Urban-Rural Gradient

Alan Da Silveira Fleck, Mariana Vieira, Sergio Luís Amantéa and Claudia Ramos Rhoden
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Alan Da Silveira Fleck: Oxidative Stress and Air Pollution Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Sarmento Leite Street, 245, Room 9. Porto Alegre 90050-170, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Mariana Vieira: Oxidative Stress and Air Pollution Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Sarmento Leite Street, 245, Room 9. Porto Alegre 90050-170, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Sergio Luís Amantéa: Oxidative Stress and Air Pollution Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Sarmento Leite Street, 245, Room 9. Porto Alegre 90050-170, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Claudia Ramos Rhoden: Oxidative Stress and Air Pollution Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Sarmento Leite Street, 245, Room 9. Porto Alegre 90050-170, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Air pollution is exacerbated near heavy traffic roads in cities. Air pollution concentration and composition vary by region and depend on urban-rural gradients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of air pollution in areas of varying population densities and to compare plant biomonitoring with an established biomarker of human exposure to traffic-related air pollution in children. The areas of study were selected near a major street in 3 different regions. Areas A, B and C represent high, intermediate and low population densities, respectively. Micronucleus assay, an established biomarker of human exposure, was performed in children from these areas. For a plant biomonitoring assay, the pollen abortion assay was performed on Bauhinia variegata in these areas. NO 2 and O 3 concentrations were determined by passive sampling. We report here that the pollen abortion frequency in Bauhinia variegata is correlated with NO 2 concentration ( P = 0.004) and is strongly associated with vehicular flow and population density in the studied areas. Micronuclei frequency in buccal cells of children was higher in the regions with more degree of urbanization ( P < 0.001) following the same pattern of O 3 concentrations ( P = 0.030). In conclusion, our results demonstrate that high concentrations of air pollutants in Porto Alegre are related to both human and plant genotoxicity. Areas with different concentration of pollutants demonstrated to have an urbanization gradient dependent pattern which also reflected on genotoxic damage among these areas.

Keywords: micronucleus; air pollution; biomonitoring; bioindicator; passive sampling; genotoxicity; ozone; nitrogen dioxide (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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