Genotoxic effects following exposure to air pollution in street
vendors from a high-traffic urban area
Érica Prado Domingues
&
Guilherme Gomes Silva
&
Andrei Barbassa Oliveira
&
Lorrany Marins Mota
&
Vanessa Santana Vieira Santos
&
Edimar Olegário de Campos Jr
&
Boscolli Barbosa Pereira
Received: 16 November 2017 /Accepted: 5 March 2018 /Published online: 14 March 2018
#
Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract Workers in several occupational environ-
ments are exposed to pollutants. Street vendors, for
example, typically work in a high-traffic urban environ-
ment and are exposed to numerous air pollutants, in-
cluding genotoxic substances emitted by motor vehi-
cles. This study examined the genotoxic effects of ex-
posure to air pollution. We conducted cytological anal-
yses to assess frequencies of micronucleated (MN) and
binucleated (BN) cells in a sample of exfoliated oral
mucosa cells. We compared street vendors and control
subjects in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
and also collected quantitative information on exposure
conditions of all test subjects, including concentrations
of particulate matter. We found street vendors to exhibit
higher frequencies of MN cells compared to the control
group. We evaluated the effects of possible confounding
variables on MN frequencies, namely the body mass
index (BMI), age, as well as smoking and alcohol habits.
Multiple linear regression analysis found no significant
effects of any of those variables. Our results suggest that
continued exposure to air pollution from traffic repre-
sents a major source of genotoxicity and raises concerns
regarding disease prevention not only in street vendors
but also other groups of people working in urban
environments.
Keywords Micronucleus assay
.
Particulate matter
.
Environmental assessment
Environ Monit Assess (2018) 190: 215
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6598-2
É. P. Domingues
:
G. G. Silva
:
A. B. Oliveira
:
L. M. Mota
:
V. S. V. Santos
:
B. B. Pereira (*)
Department of Environmental Health, Laboratory of
Environmental Health, Federal University of Uberlândia, Santa
Mônica Campus, Avenida João Naves de Ávila, 2121, Uberlândia,
Minas Gerais 38408-100, Brazil
e-mail: boscolli86@hotmail.com
É. P. Domingues
e-mail: ericadomingues9@gmail.com
G. G. Silva
e-mail: guilhermeg12@hotmail.com
A. B. Oliveira
e-mail: andreibarbassa@hotmail.com
L. M. Mota
e-mail: lorranymarins96@gmail.com
V. S. V. Santos
e-mail: vanessasvs2009@hotmail.com
G. G. Silva
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F
University, Yangling 712100, People’s Republic of China
E. O. de Campos Jr,
Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Laboratory of
Cytogenetics and Mutagenesis, Federal University of Uberlândia,
Umuarama Campus, Avenida Pará, 1720, Uberlândia, Minas
Gerais 38400-902, Brazil
e-mail: edimarcampos@yahoo.com.br