Dan Med Bull
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Retrospective studies have indicated that operating room personnel may have increased risks of spontaneous abortion, congenital malformations in offspring, and cancer (Cohen et al 1980, Buring et al 1985). Occupational exposure to waste anaesthetic gases may be responsible for these possible adverse health effects, but a cause-effect relationship has never been proved. Induction of changes in the DNA in the chromosomes leading to mutations may play a role in teratogenicity and carcinogenicity. ⋯ The author and his associates used the SCE test to investigate the possible mutagenicity of anaesthetic gases after exposure in vivo. From extensive methodologic studies of possible confounding factors it was concluded that each of the factors sex, age, and smoking habits contributed significantly to the interpersonal variation of SCE frequencies, whereas use of oral contraceptives did not influence the SCE rates. The potential mutagenicity of inhalation anaesthetics was studied after exposure in vivo in two settings: (1) Acute exposure to anaesthetic concentrations, and (2) Chronic occupational exposure to trace concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)