Micronucleus Frequency in Exfoliated Buccal Cells of Children Living in an Industrialized Area of Apulia (Italy)

Alessandra Panico, Tiziana Grassi, Francesco Bagordo, Adele Idolo, Francesca Serio, Maria Rosaria Tumolo, Mattia De Giorgi, Marcello Guido, Maria Tutino and Antonella De Donno
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Alessandra Panico: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Tiziana Grassi: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Francesco Bagordo: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Adele Idolo: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Francesca Serio: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Maria Rosaria Tumolo: Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies, National Research Council (IRPPS-CNR), 72100 Brindisi, Italy
Mattia De Giorgi: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Marcello Guido: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Maria Tutino: Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA Puglia), 70126 Bari, Italy
Antonella De Donno: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Micronuclei (MN) are biomarkers of early biological effect often used for detecting DNA damage in human population exposed to genotoxic agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of MN in exfoliated buccal cells of children living in an industrialized (impacted) area compared with that found in children living in a control area without significant anthropogenic impacts. A total of 462 6–8-year-old children (206 in the impacted area, 256 in the control area) attending primary school were enrolled. A questionnaire was administered to the parents of the recruited children to obtain information about personal data, lifestyles, and food habits of their children. Atmospheric particulate fractions were collected near the involved schools to assess the level of environmental exposure of the children. The presence of MN was highlighted in 68.4% of children living in the impacted area with a mean MN frequency of 0.66‰ ± 0.61‰. MN positivity and frequency were significantly lower in the control area (37.1% and 0.27‰ ± 0.43‰, respectively). The frequency of MN was positively associated with quasi-ultrafine particulate matter (PM 0.5 ), traffic near the home, and consuming barbecued food; while adherence to the Mediterranean diet and practicing sport were negatively associated.

Keywords: micronuclei; buccal micronucleus cytome assay; children; environmental exposure; lifestyle; air pollution; quasi-ultrafine particles; PJS Study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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