Collection Occupational hygiene, Issue 21, 1985 year

Some regularities of the co-carcinogenic action of metal aerosols

V. I. Struk, L. N. Gorban, G. P. Potebnya, A. A. Orlovsky, 3. D. Savtsova, I. I. Shevchenko

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Institute of Oncology Problems R. E. Kavetskiy of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR

Kiev Research Institute of Occupational Hygiene and Occupational Diseases


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It has been reliably established that many metals (Be, Co, Cd, Ni, Pb, Cr, As) in their pure form and in compounds are carcinogenic, but our understanding of the mechanisms of their oncogenicity is incomplete. As a rule, the direct genotoxic effect of metal compounds is considered as the main factor of oncogenicity. A detailed analysis of the experimental data shows that this reason cannot be considered the only one. We have undertaken studies to determine additional approaches to studying the causes of cancer-related properties of metal compounds and to develop test systems for screening (accelerated assessment of their possible carcinogenic activity).

The data presented indicate that the pathogenic and, in particular, oncogenic effect of dusts of metal compounds can be mediated not only by direct chemical interaction between metals and cell components, but also by switching on the mechanisms of a nonspecific physiological response to irritation by dust particles both at the cell level and at the level of the whole organism. The question of which physicochemical properties of metal compounds are responsible for their action as irritants should be the subject of a special study.

Experiments in vivo and in vitro have demonstrated the promise of using virus-cell and virus-organism systems as fast-acting and highly sensitive test systems for screening the possible carcinogenic activity of metal compounds.

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