Occupational exposure to formaldehyde, hematotoxicity, and leukemia-specific chromosome changes in cultured myeloid progenitor cells.

Abstract

There are concerns about the health effects of formaldehyde exposure, including carcinogenicity, in light of elevated indoor air levels in new homes and occupational exposures experienced by workers in health care, embalming, manufacturing, and other industries. Epidemiologic studies suggest that formaldehyde exposure is associated with an increased risk of leukemia. However, the biological plausibility of these findings has been questioned because limited information is available on the ability of formaldehyde to disrupt hematopoietic function. Our objective was to determine if formaldehyde exposure disrupts hematopoietic function and produces leukemia-related chromosome changes in exposed humans. We examined the ability of formaldehyde to disrupt hematopoiesis in a study of 94 workers in China (43 exposed to formaldehyde and 51 frequency-matched controls) by measuring complete blood counts and peripheral stem/progenitor cell colony formation. Further, myeloid progenitor cells, the target for leukemogenesis, were cultured from the workers to quantify the level of leukemia-specific chromosome changes, including monosomy 7 and trisomy 8, in metaphase spreads of these cells. Among exposed workers, peripheral blood cell counts were significantly lowered in a manner consistent with toxic effects on the bone marrow and leukemia-specific chromosome changes were significantly elevated in myeloid blood progenitor cells. These findings suggest that formaldehyde exposure can have an adverse effect on the hematopoietic system and that leukemia induction by formaldehyde is biologically plausible, which heightens concerns about its leukemogenic potential from occupational and environmental exposures.

• Authors: Luoping Zhang, Xiaojiang Tang, Nathaniel Rothman, Roel Vermeulen, Zhiying Ji, Min Shen, Chuangyi Qiu, Weihong Guo, Songwang Liu, Boris Reiss, Laura Beane Freeman, Yichen Ge, Alan E Hubbard, Ming Hua, Aaron Blair, Noe Galvan, Xiaolin Ruan, Blanche P Alter, Kerry X Xin, Senhua Li, Lee E Moore, Sungkyoon Kim, Yuxuan Xie, Richard B Hayes, Mariko Azuma, Michael Hauptmann, Jun Xiong, Patricia Stewart, Laiyu Li, Stephen M Rappaport, Hanlin Huang, Joseph F Fraumeni Jr, Martyn T Smith, Qing Lan
• Journal: Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev) Vol. 19 Issue 1 Pg. 80-8 (Jan 2010) ISSN: 1538-7755 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20056626 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Carcinogens
• Formaldehyde

Topics

• Adult
• Aneuploidy
• Blood Cell Count
• Carcinogens
• Cells, Cultured
• Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7 (drug effects)
• Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 (drug effects)
• Female
• Formaldehyde (adverse effects)
• Humans
• In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
• Leukemia (genetics)
• Male
• Myeloid Progenitor Cells (drug effects, pathology)
• Occupational Exposure (adverse effects)