title: Use of a Salmonella microsuspension bioassay to detect the mutagenicity of munitions compounds at low concentrations.
abstract: Past production and handling of munitions has resulted in soil contamination at various military facilities. Depending on the concentrations present, these soils pose both a reactivity and toxicity hazard and the potential for groundwater contamination. Many munitions-related chemicals have been examined for mutagenicity in the Ames test, but because the metabolites may be present in low environmental concentrations, a more sensitive method is needed to elucidate the associated mutagenicity. RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine), TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), tetryl (N-methyl-N-2,4,6-tetranitroaniline), TNB (1,3,5-trinitrobenzene) and metabolites were examined for mutagenicity in a microsuspension modification of the Salmonella histidine reversion assay with and without metabolic activation. TNB and tetryl were positive in TA98 (32.5, 5.2revertants/nmole) and TA100 (7.4, 9.5revertants/nmole) without metabolic activation and were more potent than TNT (TA98, 0.3revertants/nmole; TA100, 2.4revertants/nmole). With the exception of the tetranitroazoxytoluene derivatives, TNT metabolites were less mutagenic than TNT. RDX and two metabolites were negative in both strains, however, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitroso-1,3,5-triazine was positive in TA100 with and without S9. Microsuspension bioassay results tend to correlate well with published Ames test data, however, there are discrepancies among the published data sets and the microsuspension assay results.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Carcinogenesis Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA. george.elizabeth@epa.gov
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huggins-Clark
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D005389:Firearms; D007221:Industry; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests / Q000379:methods*; D009578:Nitrobenzenes / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D014227:Triazines / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D014303:Trinitrotoluene / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; D009578:Nitrobenzenes; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014227:Triazines; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes; D014303:Trinitrotoluene; C029222:sym-trinitrobenzene; C015384:nitramine; C009160:cyclonite