ATLA::Alternatives to Laboratory Animals

Volume 24, Number 3

Environmental genotoxicity in an Estonian oil shale industrial area.

ATLA 24, 419-422, May/June 1996

Reet Pruul,1 Lars Nyland,2 Kimmo Peltonen,2 Marja Sorsa2 and Toomas Veidebaum1

1Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Hiiu 42, Tallinn 0016, Estonia; 2Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliubsenkatu 41aA 00250 Helsinki, Finland

SUMMARY

The genotoxicity of environmental samples (ambient air, drinking and river waters, purified waste water and oil shale ash) from an oil shale mining and processing area was studied by using the Ames Salmonellalmicrosome assay. Salmonella typhimunum strains TADS and YG1021 were used, with and without metabolic activation with rat liver homogenate S9. The water samples were treated with amberlite adsorbent XAD-2 for concentrating non-polar compounds. The air samples were collected on glass Libra filters by using a high volume air sampler, and extracted with dichloromethane by using a SoxElet apparatus. The air samples were mutagenic in both strains, both with and without S9-mix. The air mutagenicity data were compared with data from similar tests on cigarette smoke condensate as a positive control. Based on the fact that the average 8-hour respiratory volume at occupational activities is between 1O m3 and 20 m3, the load of airborne mutagenicity at the cokery plant during one week was estimated to be equal to the mutagenicity produced by the mainstream smoke of one cigarette. The drinking and river water samples were tested with both strains, but no dose-related increases in water counts per plate were noted. The oil shale ash sample showed no mutagenic activity, but showed cytotoxicity at the higher doses tested.

Keywords: Ames assay, Salmonella typhimurium, environmental mutagenicity, oil shale Industry