title: Reduction of particulate air pollution lowers the risk of heritable mutations in mice.
abstract: Urban and industrial air pollution can cause elevated heritable mutation rates in birds and rodents. The relative importance of airborne particulate matter versus gas-phase substances in causing these genetic effects under ambient conditions has been unclear. Here we show that high-efficiency particulate-air (HEPA) filtration of ambient air significantly reduced heritable mutation rates at repetitive DNA loci in laboratory mice housed outdoors near a major highway and two integrated steel mills. These findings implicate exposure to airborne particulate matter as a principal factor contributing to elevated mutation rates in sentinel mice and add to accumulating evidence that air pollution may pose genetic risks to humans and wildlife.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Somers
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: McCarry
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Malek
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Quinn
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation; D007221:Industry; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D051379:Mice; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D009864:Ontario; D010316:Particle Size; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013232:Steel; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D009153:Mutagens; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D013232:Steel