Does the Low-level occupational exposure to volatile organic compounds alter the seasonal variation of selected markers of oxidative stress? A case–control study in nail technicians

BACKGROUND: In this study we tested whether the seasonal variations in levels of selected biomarkers of oxidative stress in female nail technicians occupationally exposed to low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) differ significantly from those observed among healthy unexposed controls. Airborne levels of selected VOCs in nail salons were also analyzed and tested for associations with seasonal variations of the levels of biomarkers among nail technicians. METHODS: The study enrolled 145 female nail technicians and 145 healthy unexposed female controls. The airborne VOCs and levels of biomarkers were assessed by GC-MS chromatography and absorption/fluorescence spectrophotometry, respectively. RESULTS: Plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive species, ceruloplasmin, the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx1) and the SOD1/GPx1 activity ratio presented significant differences between the so-called “hot” and “cold” seasons in the case of nail technicians as well as in unexposed controls (p < <0.0001 for all four biomarkers). The pattern of these variations among nail technicians was found to be significantly different compared to that of the control subjects (p < <0.0001). Although such differences might intuitively be attributed to occupational exposure of nail technicians to VOCs, which was found to be higher during the “cold” season compared to the “hot” one, our study provided only limited evidence in favor of the hypothesis, that the different pattern of seasonal variations of biomarkers among nail technicians might have resulted from seasonal fluctuations in their occupational exposure to VOCs. CONCLUSION: Further investigation is thus needed in order to elucidate the effect of low-level occupational exposure to VOCs on seasonal variations of biomarkers of oxidative stress. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12995-016-0125-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.