Cytogenetic monitoring of coal workers and patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis in Turkey.

Occupational exposure to coal dust causes coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), which is a chronic inflammatory and fibrotic lung disease. Recently, chronic inflammation has been accepted as a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of neoplasia. The chronic inflammation provides dynamic setting for oxidative stress and formation of free radicals. Interaction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with DNA augments the likelihood of DNA structural and transcriptional errors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the genotoxic risk in pneumoconiotic patients and in those with occupational exposure to coal dust. Therefore, sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus (MN) tests were performed in Turkish CWP patients, coal workers, and an unexposed control group. Both SCE and MN frequencies in CWP patients were found significantly higher than in coal worker and unexposed groups. There were no differences between SCE and MN frequencies of coal worker and unexposed groups. On the other hand, no correlation between SCE frequency, duration of exposure, and age was observed in all three groups. There was also no effect of smoking on the frequencies of SCE and MN in the groups. Based on these results, it might be suggested that development of CWP leads to a significant induction of cytogenetic damage in peripheral lymphocytes of CWP patients. This is the first report on CWP patients with elevated cytogenetic endpoints. Further, a larger follow-up study is warranted.