DNA damage and repair capacity in hairdressers exposed to chemical products: a pilot study

Abstract

Hairdressers are exposed to numerous hazardous chemical substances, some of which are known or suspected allergens, carcinogens or organic solvents. The objectives of this study were to compare DNA damage and DNA repair capacity between hairdressers with short-term exposure (STE, < 5 years; n = 10), those with longterm exposure (LTE, > 10 years; n = 10), and a control group (n = 11); and to demonstrate that the Comet Assay can be used in biological monitoring to measure the effect of occupational exposure to genotoxic agents in the hairdressing industry. The STE and LTE groups had signifi cantly increased baseline DNA damage compared to the control group. Both the exposed groups also had weaker DNA repair capacity than the control group. The LTE group showed a signifi cantly decreased antioxidant capacity, compared to the control group. Results of this study suggest that the chemicals to which hairdressers are exposed might cause harmful health effects and mutagenic changes