MONITORING GENOTOXIC EXPOSURE IN URANIUM MINERS

Recent data from deep uranium mines in Czechoslovakia indicated that i n addition to radon daughter products-, miners are also exposed to che mical mutagens. Mycotoxins were identified as a possible source of mut agenicity present in the mines. Various methods of biomonitoring were used to examine three groups of miners from different uranium mines. C ytogenetic analysis of peripheral lymphocytes, unscheduled DNA synthes is (UDS) in lymphocytes, and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in both plasma a nd lymphocytes were studied on 66 exposed miners and 56 controls. Thro at swabs were taken from 116 miners and 78 controls. Significantly inc reased numbers of aberrant cells were found in all groups of miners, a s well as decreased UDS values in lymphocytes and increased LPO plasma levels in comparison to controls. Molds were detected in throat swabs from 27% of miners, and 58% of these molds were embryotoxic. Only 5% of the control samples contained molds and none of them was embryotoxi c. The following mycotoxins were isolated from miners' throat swab sam ples: rugulosin, sterigmatocystin, mycophenolic acid, brevianamid A, c itreoviridin, citrinin, penicilic acid, and secalonic acid. These data suggest that mycotoxins are a genotoxic factor affecting uranium mine rs.