DNA damage in outdoor workers occupationally exposed to environmental air pollutants

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DNA damage in outdoor workers occupationally
exposed to environmental air pollutants

• By
• Kelan Kennedy, Kari Knox, Mark Krocko, JueRuissa
  Knowles, Lindsay Kaiser

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Introduction

• This presentation focuses on Chemical, and
  Biological Hazards that outdoor workers are
  exposed to, how these hazards compromise the
  health of the workers, and their impact on the
  economy.

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2008 Olympic GamesBeijing, China
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Compounds outdoor workers are occupationally
exposed to

• VOC Volatile Organic Compounds
• Methyl cyclopentane
• Benzene
• Xylene
• Toluene
• Many other benzene
  derivatives
• PM Particulate Matter
• O3 Tropospheric Ozone
• Tobacco Smoke

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Compounds you could be breathing
Benzene
Toluene
Xylene
Ozone
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The Respiratory System

• The Respiratory System is made up of the Upper
  and Lower Respiratory Tracts.
• The Respiratory System is affected by Pollution
  more than any other system in the body

• Lower Respiratory Tract
• Upper Respiratory Tract

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The Respiratory System
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Health Effects of Air Pollutants

• Volatile Organic Compounds and Particulate air
  pollutants can have negative effects on the
  respiratory system
• They compromise the function of the lungs, by
  slowing the cilia and allowing particulate matter
  to accumulate in the lungs.
• This inhibits pulmonary gas exchange, the process
  by which internal gases in the blood stream and
  gases in the external environment are exchanged

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Jobs related to Respiratory Diseases

• Farm work
• The seafood industry
• The food industry
• Construction workers

• Taxi drivers
• Carpanteers
• Street venders

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Asbestos

• Asbestosis is a disease characterized by diffuse
  pulmonary fibrosis from the inhalation dust,
  asbestos
• There are numerous occupations that can expose
  their workers to Asbestos
• Certain materials are more likely to have
  asbestos in them than others

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Environmental Occupational Exposure

• Various carcinogens have been identified in the
  ambient air, including emissions from motor
  vehicle and pollutants from refineries and
  manufacturing plants.

• Chronic exposure to industrial carcinogens can
  lead to the development of lung cancer.

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DNA Damage

• DNA damage are lesions or breaks generally in the
  primary structure of the double helix.
• if these lesions are left unrepaired in critical
  genes it can affect the cells ability to carry
  out its function
• This can directly lead to tumor formation in the
  cell which will then begin to affect other cells
  as well.
• 2 types of DNA Damage
• 1)Single strand break (easy to repair)
• 2) Double strand break (more difficult to repair)

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DNA Damage

• There are different types of DNA damage
• Main type is oxidative DNA damaged which is
  caused by exposure to free radicals
• Free radicals are generally highly reactive,
  unstable, short lived, and very damaging to our
  DNA
• The reason that they are so reactive and
  hazardous is due to the unpaired electrons or
  open shell configuration

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Free Radicals

• Our atmosphere contains many free radicals but
  many of them are so high (upper atmosphere) that
  they dont affect us
• However as we pollute our air more and more we
  are finding these radicals in our lower
  atmosphere, an example would be what we know as
  smog.
• the photon dissociation of NO2 gives an oxygen
  atom and a NO
• this plays a key role in smog formation and the
  photo dissociation of ozone to give the exited
  oxygen atom
• If you are exposed enough to these oxygen
  radicals formed by the smog the chances of DNA
  damage will be greatly increased

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Formations and reactions of free radicals in
lower atmosphere
-We start the cycle by releasing gas pollutants
into the atmosphere that cause the formations of
these radicals -effectively we are directly
increasing the chance of DNA damage as we
increase the concentrations of free radicals in
our atmosphere
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Developing Nations and trends toward urbanization

• Developing nations have less stringent
  regulations for producing VOCs, PM.
• Globally there is a trend toward urbanization.
• increasing population density in urban areas.

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DNA Damage
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Concluding statement
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Concluding statement
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Being Critical