SEASONAL-VARIATIONS IN LEVELS OF DNA ADDUCTS AND X-SPOTS IN HUMAN-POPULATIONS LIVING IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF POLAND

White blood cell DNA adducts were measured in coke oven workers, in re sidents from the area next to the coke oven in Silesia, Poland (highly industrialized region), and in residents from the rural area of Polan d using the P-32-postlabeling technique. This method detected aromatic adducts including adducts formed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Highest levels of adducts in DNA were seen in the group of cok e battery workers (6.9 adducts/10(8) nucleotides). Seasonal variations in levels of DNA adducts were observed both in residents of the distr ict near the coke oven area and individuals from the rural area of Pol and. Blood samples collected from people living near the coke oven in winter showed much higher levels of DNA adducts than blood samples obt ained in summer (5.0 adducts/10(8) nucleotides in winter and 1.4 adduc ts/10(8) nucleotides in summer). The difference in the level of DNA ad ducts between winter and summer was smaller in the group of people liv ing in the rural area (3.2 adducts/10(8) and 2.2 adducts/10(8), respec tively). In most cases the levels of X-spots correlated with the level s of other DNA adducts. Correlation coefficients(r) between the levels of X-spots and other adducts ranged between 0.46 and 0.74 (p < 0.05), except for coke oven workers where no correlation was observed.