Elevated Oxidative Damage in Kitchen Workers in Chinese Restaurants

Abstract

To investigate associations between occupational exposure to cooking oil fumes (COFs) and potential oxidative and genotoxic effects in kitchen workers. Sixty-seven male kitchen workers and 43 male controls from Chinese restaurants in Guangzhou were recruited. For all the participants, the levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in urine, binucleated micronucleus (BNMN) frequency, comet tail length and tail DNA% in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum were measured. The inhalable particulates (PM(10)) in their workplaces were also monitored. Our results showed that the exposed group had a significantly higher median level of urinary 1-OHP than that of the control group (p<0.01). In addition, the median levels of 8-oxodG, BNMNs, tail length and MDA in the exposed group were markedly higher than those of the controls (p<0.01). These differences, except that of MDA, appeared not to be modified by the potential confounders: age, BMI, smoking and alcohol consumption. A univariate regression analysis showed that greater 1-OHP, 8-oxodG, BNMNs, tail length and MDA were associated with years working in a kitchen and cooking time per day. All these positive associations remained after adjusting for the four confounders in a subsequent multivariate linear regression analysis. Occupational exposure to COFs led to increased oxidative damage in Chinese kitchen workers. The health consequences of these oxidative changes need further investgation. Urinary 1-OHP and 8-oxodG are noninvasive and effective biomarkers for assessment of oxidative damage in restaurants workers.