Effect on Antioxidants and Chromosomal Aberrations in the Offspring of Methyl Isocyanate Exposed Population of Bhopal

Abstract

Bhopal gas tragedy was one of the worst industrial disasters that produced short-term as well as long-term health effects in the exposed population. The present study is an attempt to know about the genomic damage as well as the level of antioxidant caused by Methyl Isocyanate in the offspring of the exposed population and to know about the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in them. Offspring’s of the Methyl Isocyanate Exposed individuals living in the vicinity of 1.5 km from the Union Carbide’s pesticide plant were selected randomly from the study. Equal number of age (20 years – 50 years), sex (male / female) and locality matched non-exposed individuals were also enrolled as controls. All the subjects were non smokers and not employed at any type of chemical industry or a radiation department. Cytogenetic analysis was performed by standard protocol of lymphocyte culture as per as Moorhead et al. Chromosomal aberrations were observed. The antioxidant level of Vitamin E and Blood Glutathione was also recorded. Student’s t-test was performed to test the significance difference between means of chromosomal aberrations. The means were considered to be statistically significant at 1% level of probability. It was observed that the level of antioxidants (both Vitamin E by Jargar et al. and Blood Glutathione by Beutler et al.) was highly significant in the MIC Exposed and MIC Exposed F2 Generation Population as compared to MIC Non-Exposed Population. But, significant difference between MIC Exposed and MIC Exposed F2 Generation Population was observed. The mean percentage of normal metaphase in the Exposed group was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) as compared to Non-Exposed. Besides this, chromosomal aberrations (dicentrics and double minutes) were recorded at mitotic metaphase and were statistically elevated in the MIC Exposed Population. The present study indicates that the genomic instability still persists at a higher intensity among the Bhopal Gas Survivors. The higher incidence of chromosomal aberrations may act as the intermediate processes in the pathway of the progression of any genetic disorders and cancers. Hence, our study suggests that the Exposed Populations and their Offspring’s is more vulnerable and gas affected.
 Keywords: Chromosomal aberrations, Methyl isocyanate, Bhopal gas tragedy, Long-term genotoxicity, Exposed Population