Biomonitoring of genotoxicity in slum dwellers on the banks of the Musi River in Hyderabad, India

Abstract

The production of domestic and industrial wastes has increased to an extent that environmental pollution has become a serious threat for health from exposure to sewage, municipal sludge leachate and industrial effluents. Like many other cities of the world, Hyderabad city in India evolved on the banks of a river, River Musi. Recently, it has become heavily contaminated with domestic sewage and industrial effluents and inhabited by large number of slum dwellers. Therefore, the present study evaluated the impact of exposure to hazardous environ-mental pollutants on individuals living/working on the banks of the Musi River. The parameters selected were basal DNA damage, mutagen sensitivity and micronuclei (MN) assay. The number of exposed subjects was 560 living/working at four selected stations on the banks of the river and 173 controls matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Alkaline comet assay and mutagen sensitivity assay was performed on the peripheral blood leukocytes and MN test was conducted on buccal epithelial cells of the subjects. There was a significant increase in basal DNA damage and higher mutagen sensitivity in the exposed population. Similarly, there was a significant rise in the frequency of MN. Data suggest that the population inhabiting the banks of Musi river are more susceptible to adverse health hazards.