Increased chromosomal damage among children in proximity to an industrial zone

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate air pollutant exposure at five primary schools in Terengganu, Malaysia, and to assess the chromosomal damage among the students by evaluating 176 school children aged 10–11 years. Members of the exposed group lived close to the industrial zone, whereas those of the comparative group lived far from it. The parameters for the indoor air monitoring included suspended particulate matter, gaseous pollutants (NO2 and SO2), and physical variables (temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity). Respiratory symptoms were assessed through questionnaires (n = 176), and a micronucleus assay was conducted on the buccal epithelial cells of 91 children. The findings showed that the air pollutant levels at the schools of the exposed group were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of the comparative group. The highest concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 recorded at the exposed schools were 43.30, 44.83, and 60.83 µg m–3, respectively. Coughing was the most significant recurring respiratory symptom among the children with a 2.52 odds ratio (p < 0.05). An average micronucleus frequency of 5.02 ± 3.43 MN per 1000 cells was displayed by children in the exposed group vs. 2.00 ± 1.56 MN per 1000 cells for the comparative group. After controlling for all possible confounding factors, these results strongly suggest that exposure to industrial air pollutants significantly influences the formation of micronuclei and increases the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among children living in proximity to an industrial area. Our study provides baseline data for genotoxic damage among such children in South East Asia specifically.