title: Genotoxic potential generated by biomass burning in the Brazilian Legal Amazon by Tradescantia micronucleus bioassay: a toxicity assessment study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Brazilian Amazon has suffered impacts from non-sustainable economic development, especially owing to the expansion of agricultural commodities into forest areas. The Tangará da Serra region, located in the southern of the Legal Amazon, is characterized by non-mechanized sugar cane production. In addition, it lies on the dispersion path of the pollution plume generated by biomass burning. The aim of this study was to assess the genotoxic potential of the atmosphere in the Tangará da Serra region, using Tradescantia pallida as in situ bioindicator.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted during the dry and rainy seasons, where the plants were exposed to two types of exposure, active and passive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that in all the sampling seasons, irrespective of exposure type, there was an increase in micronucleus frequency, compared to control and that it was statistically significant in the dry season. A strong and significant relationship was also observed between the increase in micronucleus incidence and the rise in fine particulate matter, and hospital morbidity from respiratory diseases in children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results, we demonstrated that pollutants generated by biomass burning in the Brazilian Amazon can induce genetic damage in test plants that was more prominent during dry season, and correlated with the level of particulates and elevated respiratory morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública - ENSP, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, CEP: 21041-210, RJ, Brazil. herbertsisenando@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Herbert A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Sisenando
authors.forename: Silvia R Batistuzzo
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: de Medeiros
authors.forename: Paulo H N
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Saldiva
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Artaxo
authors.forename: Sandra S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hacon
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D018533:Biomass; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005390:Fires; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015162:Micronucleus Tests / Q000379:methods*; D009153:Mutagens / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D012621:Seasons; D034823:Tradescantia / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D009153:Mutagens; D052638:Particulate Matter