Occupational exposure to formaldehyde and biological monitoring of Research Institute workers

Aim: The aim of this study was to verify the presence of a relationship between formaldehyde exposure in the work environment with biological markers of exposure and of effect. Methods: Exposure to formaldehyde (FA) of 36 workers in different laboratories of a Cancer Research Institute and biomarkers of exposure, such as formaldehyde human serum albumin conjugate (FA-HSA) and biomarkers of effect, such as chromosome aberration (CA), micronuclei (MN) and sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were measured in peripheral blood lymphocytes of the same workers. Results: Individual FA levels of exposure ranged from 4.9 mu g/m(3) to 268.7 mu g/m(3). Subjects with high FA exposure showed a significant increase of the biomarker of exposure FA-HSA, but biomarkers of effect (lid not show any significant differences. Conclusions: A significant relationship was observed between occupational exposure to FA and a biological marker of exposure (FA-HSA). The markers of effect used (CA, MN and SCE) failed to indicate the presence of genetic damage. (C) 2008 International Society for Preventive Oncology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.