Human emotional stress, dioxin blood content and genetic damage in Chapaevsk town

Forty five women from Chapaevsk town (three groups of 14–16 persons aged 20–40 yr) with different exposures to dioxins and different dioxin levels in blood were tested by four standard psychological questionnaires to detect emotional stress. Results of psychological testing were compared with individual dioxin blood contents and chromosome aberration level in blood cells. Results of the investigation were the next: (1) three groups tested differed significantly (Pless-than-or-equals, slant0.05) in emotional stress level, thus that highest level of stress was detected within the group with the highest dioxin blood contents (group “Workers”); (2) high level of correlation between emotional stress and individual dioxins blood contents (up Pless-than-or-equals, slant0.001) as well as between emotional stress and individual chromosome aberration level (up Pless-than-or-equals, slant0.05) was revealed. These results are discussed from the position of desadaptation induced by dioxins, which led to chromosome aberration induction.