Sister chromatid exchange analysis in workers exposed to noise and vibration.

Abstract Workers chronically exposed to whole-body vibration and noise are known to develop pathophysiological and psychological disturbances. The frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and of cells with high frequencies of SCEs (HFCs) were analyzed in lymphocytes of 50 workers occupationally exposed to vibration and noise and of 34 controls. The exposed group included: individuals operating hand-vibrating tools (group 1), ‘test-cell operators’ (group 2) and ‘run-up’ operators (group 3) from an air base and helicopter pilots (group 4). The statistical analysis of the mean SCE count per cell was carried out by multiple regression analysis, comparing various predictor variables: exposure group, duration of exposure, age and cigarette consumption. Only cigarette consumption and exposure group were found to be significantly correlated with the mean SCE frequency. After allowing for the effects of smoking, the analysis indicates that: (1) there was no significant difference between group 1 and controls ( p > 0.05); (2) the differences between group 2 and group 0, group 3 and group 0 and group 4 and group 0 were all highly significant ( p p > 0.05), nor between groups 2 and 3 combined and group 4 ( p > 0.05); (4) exposure groups 2, 3 and 4 combined, had a significantly elevated mean SCE frequency compared to the control group ( p