Potentially harmful elements in house dust from Estarreja, Portugal: characterization and genotoxicity of the bioaccessible fraction

Abstract

Due to their behavioral characteristics, young children are vulnerable to the ingestion of indoor dust, often contaminated with chemicals that are potentially harmful. Exposure to potentially harmful elements (PHEs) is currently exacerbated by their widespread use in several industrial, agricultural, domestic and technological applications. PHEs cause adverse health effects on immune and nervous systems and can lead to cancer development via genotoxic mechanisms. The present study is an integrated approach that aims at assessing the genotoxicity of bioaccessible PHEs following ingestion of contaminated house dust. A multidisciplinary methodology associating chemical characterization of five house dust samples, extraction of the bioaccessible PHEs in gastric extracts by the unified BARGE method, determination of the bioaccessible fraction and in vitro genotoxicity of gastric extracts in adenocarcinoma gastric human (AGS) cells was developed. The five gastric extracts induced dose-dependent genotoxicity in AGS cells. Copper (bioaccessible concentration up to 111 mg/kg) was probably the prevalent PHE inducing primary DNA damage (up to 5.1-fold increase in tail DNA at 0.53 g/l of gastric extract). Lead (bioaccessible concentration up to 245 mg/kg) was the most prevalent PHE inducing chromosome-damaging effects (r = 0.55; p < 0.001 for micronucleated cells induction). The association of principal component analysis and Spearman's correlations was decisive to understand the chromosome-damaging properties of the bioaccessible PHEs in AGS cells. This methodology could be used on a larger-scale study to provide useful information for science-based decision-making in regulatory policies, and a better estimation of human exposure and associated health risks.

Links between Cognitive Status and Trace Element Levels in Hair for an Environmentally Exposed Population: A Case Study in the Surroundings of the Estarreja Industrial Area

“…The Estarreja Chemical Complex (ECC), located near Aveiro, in the center region of Portugal, has had intense industrial activity since the early 1950s, and high environmental levels of potentially toxic elements such as arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) have been reported at this region [32,33]. Despite the significant number of studies focusing on determining the severity and the extension of the contamination [34,35,36,37,38] only a few have tried to assess potential health effects on the resident population [39,40,41,42,43]. Hence, the area displays interesting characteristics to study the potential effect of long-term exposures to chemicals in the environment.…”

Lead and zinc concentrations in household dust and toenails of the residents (Estarreja, Portugal): a source-pathway-fate model

“…11,12 Recent studies have found negative health effects even aer low dose exposures to this trace element. 11,13 Zinc (Zn) is an essential nutrient and, similarly to Pb, it is ubiquitous in the environment. Although Zn is not involved in cellular redox cycle and has traditionally been regarded as relatively nontoxic, studies increasingly show that Zn 2+ is a potent killer of neurons, glia, and other cell types.…”

In Vitro Genotoxicity Evaluation of PAHs in Mixtures Using Experimental Design

“…Adenocarcinoma gastric human cells (AGS) have successfully been used as a model to study the cyto- and genotoxicity of environmental mixtures to which children may be exposed by ingestion. As a matter of fact, nanoparticles and bioaccessible fractions of settled dust have been previously studied on this cell type [ 40 , 41 ]. Therefore, they were considered a relevant model for this study.…”