Dr Serdar and colleagues recently published a paper titled “Short-term markers of DNA damage among roofers who work with hot asphalt” in the journal Environmental Health.
Roofers are at increased risk for various malignancies and their occupational exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been considered as important risk factors.
The authors explored the usefulness of γH2AX as a short-term biomarker of DNA damage, based on two criteria: 1) Its association with exposure data and 2) Between- and within-subject variation. The results were compared to urine 8-hydroxy 2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a more established marker in occupational studies.
Personal exposure to PAHs was low in this population and neither marker presented an association with exposure measurements. However, γH2AX had a smaller within-worker variation when compared to urinary 8-OHdG. This research also confirmed that baseline values of γH2AX are easily detectable in this occupational group. The researchers concluded that despite the lack of association with exposure, γH2AX is a sensitive and promising biomarker of early DNA damage. The low within-subject variation, easy and high throughput methodology makes γH2AX a feasible alternative in epidemiology studies.
More details of this study can be found at: Short-term markers of DNA damage