Ozone emitted during copying process--a potential cause of pathological oxidative stress and potential oxidative damage in the bodies of operators.

Objective: To estimate the impact of copying on the indoor air quality, and to investigate whether ozone emitted during such a process induces pathological oxidative stress and potential oxidative damage in the bodies of operators.

Methods: 67 copying operators (CO) and 67 healthy volunteers (HV) were enrolled in a random control study, in which levels of lipoperoxide (LPO) in plasma and erythrocytes, and levels of vitamin C (VC), vitamin E (VE) and beta-carotene (beta-CAR) in plasma as well as activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in erythrocytes were determined by spectrophotometric methods.

Results: Compared with the HV group, the average values of LPO in plasma and erythrocytes in the CO group were significantly increased (P<0.