CYTOGENETIC BIOMONITORING OF A POPULATION OF CHILDREN ALLEGEDLY EXPOSED TO ENVIRONMENTAL-POLLUTANTS - PHASE-2 - RESULTS OF A 3-YEAR LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

Our previous cytogenetic biomonitoring of a group of inhabitants in a village (Mellery, Belgium) where exposure to a mixture of toxic enviro nmental pollutants, (probably originating from a neighbouring chemical waste disposal site) was suspected, showed that difference in the SCE and HFC bioassays was more pronounced for children. The results of fo llow-up study in 1992 confirmed this surprising conclusion by an even higher incidence. As very few studies have been performed on the level s of children's biomarkers, this group of exposed populations needed t o be explored further. Do children residing in the vicinity of hazardo us waste sites indeed represent a population at higher risk? In the pr esent study, we compare the performance of various bioassays (SCE, HFC , SSB and MN) in extended exposed and reference children's groups. Sim ultaneously, in the exposed group, we followed variation in the lympho cyte SCE frequencies as a function of time. Reversibility of the latte r biomarker was ascertained subsequent to a preliminary technical reme diation of the disposal site. We compared these data with those obtain ed from a synchronous cross-sectional study on a group of children liv ing near a similar chemical disposal site. The two exposed populations did not differ from the reference population regarding to the SCE and HFC mean levels. Comparisons of the mean levels of the two other biom arkers, SSB and MN, showed no difference between the Mellery exposed c hildren and the reference group from Wavre whereas significant differe nces appeared when the Hensies group is compared either to the Mellery or to the Wavre reference group.