Abstract
Background
Uranium mining and processing are an ancient occupation, recognized as being grueling and accountable for injury and disease. Uranium (U) is a radioactive heavy metal used in many industrial applications. It increases the micronuclei frequencies as well as chromosomal aberration and sister chromatid exchange in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Granzyme B and perforin are stored inside the leukocytes in secretory granules. These proteins are released outside the cells by a cell-to-cell contact under specific conditions for inducing apoptosis. So, this study investigated the potential health hazards with prominence on the biological effects of radiation exposure.
Methods
A cross-sectional analytic research was conducted on Egyptian male mining field workers. Leucocytes’ genotoxicity was evaluated using DNA fragmentation assay and comet assay. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis of Granzyme B protein was done.
Results
A significant increase in dead cells after dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) fluorescent staining in radiation-exposed groups was noticed compared to control groups. Moreover, a significant increase in the fragmented DNA was evident in exposed groups relative to the control one. Granzyme B protein levels showed a significant increase concerning control.
Conclusion
A wide variety of adverse human health risks are considered a potential risk to Egyptian uranium miners. For employers working in both mining and processing fields, the most common molecular shift highlighted was the leucocyte damage in blood samples. To preserve the health of all employees, health education and administration of effective hazard management procedures are necessary.
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Data availability
Data are available upon reasonable request.
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Islam El-Garawani performed the laboratory part of the study and helped in the revision and editing of the manuscript, Heba Khodary Allam and Yasser A Shehata formulated the study design and statistical analysis of the research, wrote the manuscript and revised the references, Khaldoun Fadel performed the clinical investigation for workers and Ahmed El Kattan performed the practical part of the research and conceived the idea.
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El-Garawani, I., Allam, H.K., Shehata, Y.A. et al. Genotoxicity linked to occupational exposure in uranium mine workers: Granzyme B and apoptotic changes. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 36793–36802 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13323-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13323-9