Columba livia as a sentinel species for the assessment of urban air genotoxicity.
This study explored the comet assay as a possible tool to assess genotoxicity in erythrocytes of Columba livia to detect genotoxic effects induced by exposure to urban air pollution. Fieldwork was conducted between June 2004 and June 2005 in the city of Milan, Italy, by sampling pigeons in different areas almost twice a week. Six air contaminants-CO, PM10, NO(2), O(3) (ozone), SO(2), and C6H6-plus polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fine particles, temperature, and ultraviolet index, were considered. Genotoxicity levels, expressed as %DNA migrated, tail moment, and damage index (DI), were always higher in wild pigeons than in pigeons living indoors (controls). Animals exposed to urban air showed significant differences from season to season, and the genotoxic parameters presented the highest values in summer (45.30% +/- 1.40% %DNA migrated, 12.73 +/- 0.80 tail moment, and 22.30 +/- 0.15 x DI x 10(-1)); regression analyses showed a positive relation between DI and O(3) concentrations (P < 0.001). The use of the comet assay DI parameter as a rapid assessment of incipient genotoxic risk by pollution, as measured in C. livia living in urban areas, is also discussed.
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy. m.sicolo@campus.unimib.it
Matteo
M
Sicolo
Maria
M
Tringali
Pietro
P
Fumagalli
Angela
A
Santagostino
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001554:Benzene / Q000633:toxicity; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000633:toxicity; D002947:Cities; D010856:Columbidae / Q000502:physiology*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000633:toxicity; D010126:Ozone / Q000633:toxicity; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000633:toxicity; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000633:toxicity; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000633:toxicity
D000393:Air Pollutants; D009153:Mutagens; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D010126:Ozone; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D001554:Benzene; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide