title: Contribution from motor vehicle exhaust to the mutagenic activity of airborne particles.
abstract: Samples of urban airborne particles have been collected simultaneously at street level and at roof top level in a street canyon of Oslo during two summer months. Extracts of the samples were tested for mutagenicity in the Ames Salmonella/microsome assay. The results are discussed in relation to traffic intensity, to meteorological parameters and to results from a similar study performed in the winter. The results indicated that vehicle exhaust was the main source of mutagens at both sampling sites and both seasons. Some additional activity from other sources may be detected in roof level winter samples. The results indicated further that some of the mutagens present at street level had been transformed to more polar compounds before reaching roof level.
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D001711:Biotransformation; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D009153:Mutagens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D012475:Salmonella / Q000187:drug effects; D012621:Seasons; D013997:Time Factors; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D009153:Mutagens; D001335:Vehicle Emissions