Mutagenic activity of ultraviolet-irradiated mixtures of nitrogen dioxide and propene or butadiene

Abstract

The mutagenic activities of mixtures of nitrogen dioxide and 1,3-butadiene or propene were investigated after uv-irradiation in a small, laboratory-bench scale flow-through gas exposure system. The tester organism was Salmonella typhimurium, principally strain TA100. The photoreaction products from 1,3-butadiene and nitrogen dioxide were more mutagenic than those from propene and nitrogen dioxide. Approximately 0.25 ppm butadiene, compared to 100 ppm propene, was needed to give a significant mutagenic effect with 0.25 ppm NO2 after 6 hr exposure. The influence of different experimental conditions on mutagenic activity was studied using propene plus nitrogen dioxide. Increasing the mean reaction time from 40 min to 1 hr 20 min or 3 hr 20 min by reduction of the flow rate through the 20-liter reaction vessel did not appreciably increase the sensitivity of the system, nor did humidification of the air, omission of the metabolic system (S9 mix), or spreading of the bacteria on the agar surface. Prolongation of the exposure time from 6 to 16 or 24 hr did, however, give an increased mutagenic response. With prolonged exposure, a slight mutagenic effect could also be detected with ethene + NO2 + uv. Ozone addition did not appreciably enhance the mutagenic response.