Biological monitoring exposure of workers from plant producing carbon electrodes: quantification of benzo[a]pyrene DNA-adducts in leukocytes, by a 32P-postlabelling method and an immunoassay.

The levels of benzo[a]pyrene were monitored for blood DNA-benzo[a]pyrene adducts in 17 workers from a plant producing carbon electrodes, with high exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (575-902-1149 ng m(-3)). Two different techniques, a 32P-postlabelling method and a competitive immunoassay using polyclonal antibodies obtained from rabbits immunised with DNA modified by benzo[a]pyrene-trans-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide were used. For each worker, urinary 1-hydroxypyrene, a potential indicator of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, was measured. The effect of tobacco by urinary cotinine measurement was also considered. The postlabelling and immunoassay detection limits for DNA-benzo[a]pyrene adducts were respectively 0.15 and 10 fmol 50 microg(-1) of DNA. The results obtained by the two methods demonstrated a good detection of DNA-benzo[a]pyrene adducts, but no direct relationship between the quantity of adducts and the concentration of benzo[a]pyrene in air-borne was noted in the studied plant. The levels of DNA-benzo[a]pyrene adducts obtained by immunoassay were significantly higher than those obtained by the 32P-postlabelling (P < 0.001). For several workers, variations due to professional or non professional factors must be taken into account in interpreting the results. In conclusion, the two methods used proved very efficient in determining DNA-benzo[a]pyrene adducts, and may be useful in monitoring human exposure to known and previously unidentified environmental genotoxic agents.