Increase of global DNA methylation patterns in beauty salon workers exposed to low levels of formaldehyde

Formaldehyde (FA) is a carcinogenic aldehyde illegally added to creams as a hair straightening agent for the Brazilian blowout (BB). This study aimed to investigate the possible effects of occupational exposure to FA on global DNA methylation in salon workers with different exposure levels. FA exposure was monitored using environmental and biological measurements. The study included 49 salon workers divided by FA levels in the workplace into group A (FA<0.01ppm; n=8), group B (0.03ppm<FA<0.06ppm; n=15), and group C (0.08ppm<FA<0.24ppm; n=26). The global DNA methylation levels were 3.12%, 4.55%, and 4.29% for groups A, B, and C, respectively, with statistically higher values for groups B and C compared to group A (p=0.002). A correlation was found between FA in passive samplers and global DNA methylation (r(s)=0.307, p=0.032). Additionally, when only taking into account the hairdressers that performed the BB on clients instead of the whole group, a stronger correlation was observed between FA in personal passive samplers and global DNA methylation (r(s)=0.764, p=0.006). For the first time, an increase in DNA methylation was observed in subjects occupationally exposed to FA. In conclusion, our results indicated that even low levels of FA exposure could cause a disturbance in DNA methylation, leading to epigenetic changes, which is associated with cancer development. These data suggest a possible contribution of FA to cancer development through occupational exposure.