PARENT SESSION
87 - Mutagenicity and Genotoxicity
8:30 AM to 12:20 PM, Thursday, 16 May 2002
Stolz A

(87-04) Assessment of cytoxicicity and mutagenicity of air particulate matter from urban and industrial areas.

Massolo, Laura², Rehwagen, Martina¹, Tueros, Matías², Franck, Ullrich², Herbarth, Olf¹, Ronco, Alicia¹, Müller, Andrea^*,1, ² Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente, Departamento de Química, La Pata, Argentina¹ Department of Human Exposure Research and Epidemiology, Leipzig, Germany

ABSTRACT- Airborne particulate matter, especially fine particles and bound chemical compounds are potential mediators of adverse health effects. Investigations for ranking risk factors at places with different burdens were carried out in La Plata, Argentina, and Leipzig, Germany, considering places under the influence of traffic, domestic and industrial emissions, including control areas. For an assessment of toxic effects, organic extracts of airborne particles, sampled with high volume samplers (6 fractions cascade impactor from 10 to less than 0.49 m) were tested for mutagenicity (AMES test-Salmonella typhimurium TA 98/S9+ and cytotoxicity (Tetrahymena pyriformis, cell respiration and oxygen consumption). T. pyriformis is a single-cell eucaryotic organism which in terms of sensitivity and reactivity largely corresponds to human tissue cell cultures, making it suitable for studying environmental noxae. Chemical analyses (HPLC/ UV/flourecsense detection) were performed to determine the contents of PAHs. High mutagenic potency and cytotoxic effects on T. pyriformis were associated to the fraction of very fine particles less than 0.49 m particles from sites with industrial burden also showed high potency in the fine fraction of dust with diameters between 0.5 and 3 m. Additionally, an uncoupling of the respiratory chain by extracts containing fine and very fine particles were observed by investigation of the cell respiration. Mutagenic and cytotoxic effects were associated to the concentration of PAHs, particulary to the high condensed compounds with 4 and 5 rings. Particle extracts exhibited both, mutagenic and cytotoxic effects, demonstrating a higher risk associated to respirable very fine particles.

Key words: air particulate matter, mutagenicity, cytotoxicity, Tetrahymena pyriformis , PAH