Clinical laboratory manifestations of exposure to dioxin in children. A six-year study of the effects of an environmental disaster near Seveso, Italy
P. Mocarelli, A. Marocchi, P. Brambilla, P. Gerthoux, D. S. Young and N. Mantel
Following a major environmental accident near Seveso, Italy, on July 10,
1976, we attempted to determine if the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
(TCDD) released into the atmosphere had any effect on the liver function
and lipid metabolism of exposed children. From July 1976 to June 1982, we
analyzed the results of more than 4500 laboratory tests (alanine
aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltransferase,
alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, and triglycerides in plasma and
delta-aminolevulinic acid in urine) in a population of about 1500 children
aged 6 to 10 years at the moment of the accident. The children exposed to
the highest concentration of TCDD showed alterations in serum
gamma-glutamyltransferase and alanine aminotransferase activity compared
with the control group. These differences were restricted to values inside
limits set from the lower end of the normal range to slightly above it. The
observed abnormalities were slight and disappeared with time.
