Monitoring of mutagens in urban air samples.
This research was designed to examine the presence of mutagenic/carcinogenic compounds in urban airborne particulates sampled with the inhalable PM-10 high volume sampler in two different streets of Brescia, a heavily industrialized town in northern Italy, using the Tradescantia/micronucleus test and a bacterial mutagenicity test (Kado test, a more sensitive version of the Ames test). In addition, the Tradescantia/micronucleus test was used for in situ monitoring of gaseous pollutants in other urban areas of Brescia and in two car tunnels, one with heavy car traffic in Perugia, a town in central Italy, and one in Brescia with moderate traffic. The Tradescantia-micronucleus test carried out on extracts of airborne particulates gave positive results only for the sample collected in the traffic-congested street where also higher bacterial mutagenicity was found. The in situ monitoring of the urban areas with the Tradescantia/micronucleus test always gave negative results. Monitoring carried out in the two car tunnels showed a significant increase in micronuclei frequency only in flowers exposed in the smaller and more polluted tunnel.
Monarca
S
S
Department of Experimental and Applied Medicine, Hygiene Section, University of Brescia, Via Valsabbina, 19, I-25123, Brescia, Italy. monarca@master.cci.unibs.it
Feretti
D
D
Zanardini
A
A
Falistocco
E
E
Nardi
G
G
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014504:Urban Health
D000393:Air Pollutants; D009153:Mutagens