Cytogenetic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes in workers occupationally exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls.

The ability of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to induce chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in peripheral lymphocytes was studied in a group of workers occupationally exposed to PCBs during the production of the Czechoslovak PCB products Delor 103 and Delor 106. The effect of PCB exposure was compared between an exposed group (N = 32, 3.25 +/- 0.34% aberrant cells, AB.C.), control group 1 (N = 20, 1.30 +/- 0.29% AB.C.), and control group 2 (N = 20, 1.60 +/- 0.31% AB.C.). The length of PCB exposure over 10 yr increased the frequency of AB.C. in a group exposed for 11-15 yr to 3.40% (N = 5) and in a group exposed for 16-25 yr to 5.85% (N = 7) vs. an increase of 1.60% AB.C. in group C2 and of SCE to 12.6 +/- 0.9/cell vs. 6.9 +/- 0.7 SCE/cell in C2. The clastogenic activity observed in this group may be the result of a high PCB concentration in blood plasma (320 +/- 190 micrograms PCB/l), and it is probably related to its solubility in adipose tissue, when it may act as another mutagen and carcinogen biotransformation inducer.