Chromium (VI) induced oxidative damage to DNA: increase of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine concentrations (8-OHdG) among electroplating workers.

AIMS To investigate the concentration of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) among electroplating workers in Taiwan. METHODS Fifty workers were selected from five chromium (Cr) electroplating plants in central Taiwan. The 20 control subjects were office workers with no previous exposure to Cr. Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were determined using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. RESULTS Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations among Cr workers (1149.5 pmol/kg/day) were higher than those in the control group (730.2 pmol/kg/day). There was a positive correlation between urinary 8-OHdG concentrations and urinary Cr concentration (r = 0.447, p < 0.01), and urinary 8-OHdG correlated positively with airborne Cr concentration (r = 0.285). Using multiple regression analysis, the factors that affected urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were alcohol, the common cold, and high urinary Cr concentration. There was a high correlation of urinary 8-OHdG with both smoking and drinking, but multiple regression analysis showed that smoking was not a significant factor. Age and gender were also non-significant factors. CONCLUSION 8-OHdG, which is an indicator of oxidative DNA damage, was a sensitive biomarker for Cr exposure.