Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS
Volume 43, Issue 4, Pages 235-242Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/em.20022
Keywords
SCGE; comet assay; ground water; open drain
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Mahal is a linear village settlement situated about 0.5 km from an open waste-water drain, the Tung Dhab drain, which carries effluents from local industrial sites. Villagers generally have a low-to-middle socio-economic status and use ground water or a combination of ground water and tap water for drinking and for their other daily activities. The land in and around Mahal is used for agriculture and is irrigated by water from the Tung Dhab. The drain water contains heavy metals, and there is a possibility that these and other contaminants may reach the ground water table of Mahal and thereby compromise the health of the residents. The comet assay was performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes from Mahal villagers and revealed statistically significant increases in DNA damage as compared to a control group that does not use ground water. DNA damage was also significantly related to the age of the villagers and to the length of residence in the village. In the absence of other environmental exposures, it is concluded that the elevated DNA damage in the villagers is a consequence of continuous utilization of contaminated ground water. (C) 2004 Wiley-liss, Inc.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available