The detection of mutagenic chemicals in the tissues of shellfish exposed to oil pollution.
Two species of shellfish (mussels and limpets ) were collected from two sites in West Wales (U.K.) extracted in nitric acid and monitored for the presence of mutagenic chemicals using bacterial fluctuation tests over a period of an oil pollution incident. Prior to the observation of oil pollution at the two sites no mutagenic activity could be detected in the tissue extracts. However, within three days of the observation of oil pollution, chemicals capable of inducing both base-substitution and frameshift mutation could be detected in both shellfish species. At one of the sites (St. Brides ) mutagenic activity could still be detected in samples collected 12 months after the oil pollution incident, whereas at the other sites (Dale) no activity was detectable after 12 months. The results obtained demonstrate shellfish exposed to crude oil (and dispersants ) accumulate mutagenic chemicals that persist for periods longer than pollution could be observed by visual inspection.
D000818:Animals; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000032:analysis*; D009602:Nitrosamines / Q000032:analysis; D010578:Petroleum / Q000633:toxicity*; D012758:Shellfish / Q000032:analysis*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D009153:Mutagens; D009602:Nitrosamines; D010578:Petroleum; D014873:Water Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical