Department of Oncocytogenetics, National Institute of Oncology, Ráth Gy u 7-9, H-1122 Budapest, Hungary.
Mutagenesis. 2013 Jan;28(1):1-5. doi: 10.1093/mutage/ges042. Epub 2012 Sep 17.
Red mud is an industrial waste produced in the process of alumina extraction from bauxite with concentrated NaOH. When the red mud-containing reservoir collapsed in Ajka Alumina Plant Hungary in October 2010, the most serious immediate effects were caused by the high alkalinity (pH ≥ 13) of the flood. Many persons suffered burn-like damage to tissues and contact with caustic desiccated ultra-fine dust with traces of toxic metals also caused irritation of upper respiratory tract and eyes. This catastrophe was unique from the point of view of genotoxic effects as well. Therefore cytogenetic examinations were carried out on inhabitants, either with burns (17 persons) or on those inhaling desiccated caustic dust (42 persons). Chromosomal aberration (CA) analysis and bleomycin (BLM)-sensitivity assays, as possible markers of effects, were studied in peripheral blood lymphocytes of persons within 4-6 weeks following the catastrophe. Controls were matched for age, sex and smoking habits, and also places of residence with different constituents of air pollution either from rural (59 persons), or from urban environments (59 persons). Neither spontaneous rate of CAs (1.47% vs. 1.69%) nor BLM-induced in vitro chromosomal breakage (0.79 vs. 0.83 break/cell) showed elevated rates when cytogenetic biomarkers of genotoxicity were compared between controls and exposed persons. Time spent in cleaning did not affect cytogenetic changes either (R(2) = 0.04). BLM-induced mutagen sensitivity was similar in exposed and control persons (27.1% vs. 30.5%). It seems that the red mud exposure does not appear to pose an immediate genotoxic hazard on residents when measured with cytogenetic methods. We recommend, however, that those involved in clean-up activities should be followed closely not only for overall health, but also for further genotoxic risk assessment, because the long-term hazards of ultra-fine fugitive dust particles with alkalinity of residual NaOH in red mud are still unknown.
赤泥是一种工业废料，在使用浓氢氧化钠从铝土矿中提取氧化铝的过程中产生。2010 年 10 月，匈牙利阿吉卡氧化铝厂的赤泥库发生坍塌，最严重的直接影响是洪水的高碱性（pH 值≥13）。许多人遭受组织灼伤样损伤，接触到含有痕量有毒金属的腐蚀性干燥超细粉尘，也会刺激上呼吸道和眼睛。从遗传毒性效应的角度来看，这场灾难也是独特的。因此，对受灾居民（烧伤者 17 人，吸入干燥腐蚀性粉尘者 42 人）进行了细胞遗传学检查。在灾难发生后 4-6 周内，对这些人外周血淋巴细胞中的染色体畸变（CA）分析和博来霉素（BLM）敏感性测定作为效应的可能标志物进行了研究。对照组在年龄、性别和吸烟习惯方面与烧伤组和吸入干燥腐蚀性粉尘组相匹配，并且在空气污染成分不同的农村（59 人）和城市（59 人）环境中居住。无论是与对照组相比，自发 CA 率（1.47%比 1.69%），还是 BLM 体外诱导的染色体断裂率（0.79 比 0.83 断裂/细胞），遗传毒性生物标志物均未显示出升高的趋势。花在清理上的时间也不会影响细胞遗传学变化（R²=0.04）。暴露组和对照组的 BLM 诱导致突变敏感性相似（27.1%比 30.5%）。用细胞遗传学方法测量时，赤泥暴露似乎不会对居民造成直接的遗传毒性危害。然而，我们建议，应密切关注那些参与清理活动的人，不仅要关注整体健康，还要进行进一步的遗传毒性风险评估，因为赤泥中残留 NaOH 的碱性超细逸散尘颗粒的长期危害仍不清楚。
