It has been estimated that over three million workers in the USA are potentially exposed to @entity3440 or other mineral dusts. Results of epidemiological studies evaluating whether @entity3440 or glass fibers increase @entity2 risk to the exposed workers are inconclusive. Detection of DNA damage in cells exposed to genotoxic agents is being used to assess the carcinogenic potential of environmental agents. The alkaline (pH > 13) single cell gel/comet (SCG) assay was used to determine and compare DNA damage in cultured @entity3569 lung fibroblasts (V79 cells) and @entity1 embryonic lung fibroblasts (Hel 299 cells) exposed to crystalline @entity3440 (Min-U-Sil 5), amorphous @entity3440 (Spherisorb), @entity17244 , and glass fibers (AAA-10). V79 or Hel 299 cells were exposed to these mineral dusts for 3 h at various concentrations. Min-U-Sil 5 and AAA-10, at almost all concentrations tested, caused a significant increase in DNA migration measured as tail length in both V79 and Hel 299 exposed cells. However, the increase was much higher in V79 then in Hel 299 cells for Min-U-Sil 5. Tail length was also increased relative to controls after amorphous @entity3440 treatment, but not to the same extent as that induced by crystalline @entity3440 . Exposure to @entity17244 did not induce DNA migration at any of the concentrations tested. These results indicate that @entity3440 and glass fibers, but not @entity17244 , can induce DNA damage in @entity1 cells, and that crystalline @entity3440 has a higher DNA-damaging activity than amorphous @entity3440 . For glass fibers, induction of DNA damage in both V79 and Hel 299 cells was observed even at a concentration 10 times lower than @entity3440 and the response was similar in both cell lines. These results suggest that the SCG/comet assay is useful for the detection of DNA damage caused by occupationally related dusts/particles.

Detection of mineral-dust-induced DNA damage in two XXXX cell lines using the alkaline single cell gel/comet assay.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['mammalian', 'human'] @entity2 :: ('MESH:D008175', 'Disease') :: ['lung cancer'] @entity17244 :: ('MESH:D053260', 'Chemical') :: ['carbon black'] @entity3440 :: ('MESH:D012822', 'Chemical') :: ['silica'] @entity3569 :: ('10029', 'Species') :: ['Chinese hamster']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['mammalian']
