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PubMed1988

Determination of polycyclic aromatic compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography with simultaneous mass spectrometry and ultraviolet diode array detection.

A major problem in the determination of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in environmental samples is the extreme complexity of the extracts, even after extensive fractionation. The combination of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with simultaneous mass spectrometry (MS) and ultraviolet diode array detection (DAD) is a powerful tool for the identification and quantitation of such species with a high degree of confidence. HPLC allows the selective separation of a wide variety of PACs, including thermally labile and high molecular weight compounds. Electron ionization MS with the moving belt interface provides high sensitivity and selectivity, as well as structural information such as molecular weight, functional groups, and elemental composition. The diode array detector helps to differentiate isomeric structures and confirm compound identity.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed2006

Validated analytical strategy for the determination of polycyclic aromatic compounds in marine sediments by liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and mass spectrometry.

The aim of this work was to optimise and validate the experimental conditions for the analysis of 20 polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) [19 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dibenzothiophene as polycyclic aromatic sulphur heterocycle (PASH)] in marine sediments by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to photodiode array detection (DAD) and to mass spectrometry (MS). The LC-MS interface used was atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in the positive ion mode. The operational parameters of the APCI interface and MS detection, such as organic modifier, fragmentation voltage, gain, vaporizer temperature, corona current, capillary voltage, drying gas (N2) and nebulizer pressure, were studied. The sediments were subjected to microwave-assisted solvent extraction (MAE) and clean-up by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The relevance of the selected PACs lies in the fact that 16 PACs are classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as priority pollutants; 17 PACs are detected in the Prestige oil spill; and 8 PACs are included in the priority substance list of the EU water policy. Recoveries from 47% to 102% were obtained for SRM 1944 certified reference sediment. The limits of quantitation were lower than 100 ngg(-1) dry weight for most PACs, and good precision was achieved.

Atmospheric Pressure↗

PubMed1993

Mortality from lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases among stainless-steel producing workers.

The mortality pattern of workers involved in the production of stainless steel (SS) was studied from 1968 to 1984 in order to investigate a possible risk of lung cancer in relation to exposure to chromium compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and silica. The role of heat exposure in mortality from cardiovascular diseases also was examined. The cohort was comprised of 4,227 workers. Complete individual job histories were provided by the company (UGINE SA). The smoking habits of 24 percent of the cohort members were known from the interview of workers still active during the data collection. The observed numbers of deaths were compared with the expected ones based on national rates with adjustment for age, sex, and calendar time (standardized mortality ratio, SMR). No significant excesses of lung cancer were observed among workers employed in the manufacture of ferroalloys (SMR = 0.68) and in the melting and casting of SS (SMR = 1.04), whereas a significant excess appeared among SS foundry workers (SMR = 2.29). This excess was higher and remained significant among workers with more than 30 years since first employment in the foundry area (SMR = 3.34). Among subjects exposed to heat, no excess was observed for all cardiovascular diseases or for ischemic heart diseases.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

PubMed2003

Comparison of the mutagenic activity of XAD4 and blue rayon extracts of surface water and related drinking water samples.

The combination of mutagenicity tests and selective extraction methodologies can be useful to indicate the possible classes of genotoxic organic contaminants in water samples. Treated and source water samples from two sites were analyzed: a river under the influence of an azo dye-processing plant discharge and a reservoir not directly impacted with industrial discharges, but contaminated with untreated domestic sewage. Organic extraction was performed in columns packed with XAD4 resin, that adsorbs a broad class of mutagenic compounds like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arylamines, nitrocompounds, quinolines, antraquinones, etc., including the halogenated disinfection by-products; and with blue rayon that selectively adsorbs polycyclic planar structures. The organic extracts were tested for mutagenicity with the Salmonella assay using TA98 and TA100 strains and the potencies were compared. A protocol for cleaning the blue rayon fibers was developed and the efficiency of the reused fibers was analyzed with spiked samples. For the river water samples under the influence of the azo-type dye-processing plant, the mutagenicity was much higher for both blue rayon and XAD4 extracts when compared to the water from the reservoir not directly impacted with industrial discharges. For the drinking water samples, although both sites showed mutagenic responses with XAD4, only samples from the site under the influence of the industrial discharge showed mutagenic activity with the blue rayon extraction, suggesting the presence of polycyclic compounds in those samples. As expected, negative results were found with the blue rayon extracts of the drinking water collected from the reservoir not contaminated with industrial discharges. In this case, it appears that using the blue rayon to extract drinking water samples and comparing the results with the XAD resin extracts we were able to distinguish the mutagenicity caused by industrial contaminants from the halogenated disinfection by-products generated during water treatment.

Cellulose↗

PubMed1994

Air pollution measurements in traffic tunnels.

Air pollution measurements during April 1991 are reported from the Craeybeckx highway tunnel in Antwerp, Belgium. The tunnel was used daily by an average of 45,000 vehicles, of which 60% were gasoline fueled passenger cars, 20% diesel cars, and 20% trucks. Of the gasoline cars, only 3% had three-way catalysts. Tunnel air concentrations of nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nonmethane hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and lead are presented. The traffic emissions in the tunnel are calculated by the carbon balance method, which uses the increase of the total carbon concentration in the tunnel air as the reference quantity. Division of the concentration of any pollutant by the total carbon concentration gives emission factors per kilogram of carbon. These emission factors can be converted directly to emissions relative to fuel consumption or per kilometer. The fraction of diesel used in the tunnel was derived from sulphur to carbon ratios in tunnel air. A calculation procedure with breakdown of emission factors according to vehicle categories was used to estimate countrywide emissions. The estimated emissions were compared to results from the Flanders Emissions Inventory [Emissie Inventaris Vlaamse Regio (EIVR)] and calculated emissions according to the emission factors proposed by the European Commissions CORINAIR Working Group. For NOx there is excellent agreement. For carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, the tunnel data produced higher emissions than the CORINAIR model would predict but lower than the official EIVR statistics. The estimated lead emissions from traffic are found to be 22 to 29% of the lead in gasoline.

Asbestos↗

PubMed2004

Biological monitoring of environmental exposure to mutagens among high school students in Jeddah.

Mutagenic and/or carcinogenic substances, which are present in the environment, are numerous. They include electrophilic compounds, polycyclic aromatic compounds such as benzo(a)pyrene which is a polyaromatic hydrocarbon. It is well known to be mutagenic and carcinogenic. Biological monitoring that depends on estimating a substance or one of its metabolites or one of its effective components in biological fluids such as urine and blood was carried out. Thioether concentration in urine indicates absorption of mutagenic and/or carcinogenic substances. Thiocyanates' concentration in urine was used as an indicator of absorption of mutagenic and/or carcinogenic haloacetonitriles. Urinary cotinine was used to estimate the extent of exposure to tobacco smoke, the heaviness of smoking, and whether the subject is smoker or not. Three hundreds and thirty two male students were randomly selected from eight secondary schools in Jeddah city. Their ages were more than 15 years and they were apparently free from illness. Every student filled a questionnaire. Random urine samples were obtained from all students. Thioether, thiocyanate, cotinine, and creatinine were measured in urine samples. There was a direct relation between urinary thioether and each of smoking index, food index, urinary thiocyanate, and cotinine. Urinary thioether shows an inverse relation with BMI. Urinary thiocyanate and cotinine showed direct relation with smoking index and with each of them and the other factor. This indicates interference between these indices and smoking is still one of the most misleading factors in researches that deal with the mutagenic and/or carcinogenic effects in the environment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Humic acid complexation of basic and neutral polycyclic aromatic compounds.

Complexation by humic acid (HA) of basic (quinoline) and neutral (naphthalene) polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) was compared using fluorescence spectroscopy and equilibrium dialysis (ED). These compounds sorb to HA via cation exchange and hydrophobic interactions, respectively. Ionization of quinoline strongly affects its sorption to HA; maximum sorption is observed at pH close to logKb (4.92), and competition with H+ and electrolyte cation (Li+) is evident. Spectroscopic experiments indicate that quinolinium (QH+) cation fluorescence is quenched via a static mechanism (i.e., a dark complex is formed) when the protonated form is adsorbed via ion exchange to HA. The extent of sorption, calculated from fluorescence data using the Stern-Volmer equation, was compared to independent ED measurements. Although both methods indicated the same trends with solution chemistry, fluorescence quenching data suggested more extensive complexation than that measured using ED. In contrast to ionizable PACs, studied here and previously, interaction of naphthalene with HA is unaffected by changes in solution conditions (pH, ionic strength).

Adsorption↗

PubMed1987

Contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polar polycyclic aromatic compounds to the carcinogenic impact of flue gas condensate from coal-fired residential furnaces evaluated by implantation into the rat lung.

For identification of the substances chiefly responsible for the carcinogenic action of the emission condensate from coal-fired residential furnaces, the implantation method was used as a carcinogen-specific bioassay for comparison of the carcinogenic effect of various fractions with that of a total sample of flue gas condensate tested in 2 or 3 different doses. After implantation into the lungs of Osborne-Mendel rats, the condensate from coal-fired residential furnaces, a fraction containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and thiaarenes [sulfur-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds (S-PACs)] with 4-7 rings, as well as fraction containing more polar polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) and PAHs with higher molecular weight, induced lung carcinomas and sarcomas. According to probit analysis, the fraction containing PAHs plus S-PACs with 4-7 rings accounted for about 68.2% of the total carcinogenicity of flue gas condensate, whereas the fraction containing more polar PACs and higher PAHs accounted for about 54.6%. All other fractions, such as nonaromatic compounds and PACs with 2 and 3 rings, constituting about 70% of the weight of the total condensate, seemed not to be carcinogenic. Only 1.4% of the total carcinogenicity of the flue gas condensate was found to be attributable to the amount of benzo[a]pyrene (CAS: 50-32-8) present in the condensate (1.14 mg/g condensate). The contribution of more than 100% of both active fractions to the total carcinogenicity (68.2 and 54.6%) may suggest an interrelation of the fractions.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed1977

Genetic regulation of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase induction by polycyclic aromatic compounds in mice. Co-segregation with aryl hydrocarbon (benzo(alpha)pyrene) hydroxylase induction.

Induction of hepatic 4-methylumbelliferone UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.17) by polycyclic aromatic compounds, such as 3-methylcholanthrene or beta-naphthoflavone, occurs in C57BL/6N, A/J, PL/J, C3HeB/FeJ, and BALB/cJ but not in DBA/2N, AU/SsJ, AKR/J, or RF/J inbred strains of mice. This pattern of five responsive and five nonresponsive mouse strains parallels that of the Ah locus, which controls the induction of aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[alpha]pyrene) hydroxylase (EC 1.14.14.2). Induction of the transferase is maximal in C57BL/6N mice with 200 mg of 3-methylcholanthrene/kg body weight; no induction occurs in nonresponsive DBA/2N mice even at a dose of 400 mg/kg. The rise of inducible transferase activity lags 1 or more days behind the rise of inducible hydroxylase activity and peaks 5 days after a single dose of 3-methylcholanthrene. In offspring from the appropriate backcrosses and intercross between C57BL/6N and DBA/2N parent strains, the genetic expression of 3-methylcholanthrene-inducible transferase activity is inherited as an additive (co-dominant) trait. This expression differs distinctly from that of the inducible hydroxylase activity, which is inherited almost exclusively as a single autosomal dominant trait in these same animals. The more potent inducer 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induces the transferase more than 3-fold in C57BL/6N mice and less than 2-fold in DBA/2N mice, whereas the hydroxylase is induced equally (about 8-fold) in both strains. A dose of 3-methylcholanthrene given 3 days after 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, at a time when hydroxylase induction in both strains is very high, does not enhance the rise in inducible transferase activity seen in C57BL/6N or DBA/2N mice which have received 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin alone. These data indicate that (a) the inducibility of two metabolically coordinated membrane-bound enzyme activities may be regulated by a single genetic locus, and (b) although the hydroxylase can be fully induced in the nonresponsive DBA/2N strain by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin prior to 3-methylcholanthrene treatment, metabolites of the 3-methylcholanthrene treatment, metabolites of the 3-methylcholanthrene treatment, metabolites of the 3-methylcholanthrene, presumably present in the liver, are incapable of inducing further the transferase activity. The difference in sensitivity between 3-methylcholanthrene and the more potent inducer 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin for both the hydroxylase and the transferase activities suggests the possibility of a common receptor in regulating both enzyme induction processes.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Studies on the dermal and systemic bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic compounds in high viscosity oil products.

The assessment of skin penetration by viscous oil products is an important element in the risk assessment of these materials where skin contact is likely. Systemic bioavailability (body uptake) is viewed as a good indicator of skin penetration following cutaneous exposures. The results of this study provide quantitative information on the influence of viscosity on the bioavailability of a specific polycyclic aromatic compound (benzo(a)pyrene) in base oils, residual aromatic extracts and bitumens following skin exposures to mice. The materials studied were a base mineral oil (viscosity 32 cSt at 35 degrees C), a 1:1 blend of the mineral base oil and a residual aromatic extract (198 cSt), several residual aromatic extracts (ca. 5000 cSt, 35 degrees C) and a range of bitumens (0.65-69 x 10(6) cSt, 35 degrees C). These were each spiked with 0.1% radiolabelled benzo(a)pyrene, as a representative carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic compound, then used for cutaneous exposures to mice. The results indicate that as viscosity increased in the range ca. 30 to 5000 cSt (base oil to residual aromatic extract) the uptake of the radiolabelled benzo(a)pyrene into blood was reduced by ca. fivefold. Further increases in viscosity from ca. 5000 to 69 x 10(6) cSt (i.e. residual aromatic extract to bitumen) resulted in a further but smaller (ca. twofold) reduction in uptake. The relationship between the amounts of free benzo(a)pyrene measured in blood and viscosity showed the same trend. This trend was also mirrored by the degree of binding of benzo(a)pyrene metabolites to DNA in skin. The findings in mouse skin in vivo indicate that viscosity can significantly affect skin penetration and systemic bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic compound components of oil products. Results obtained with viable human skin in vitro also showed that the bioavailability of benzo(a)pyrene was reduced by the viscosity of the oil product matrix. It is thus necessary to take account of physical properties such as viscosity in the overall risk assessment of viscous oil products, particularly in the case of very viscous materials such as bitumens. The significantly reduced bioavailability of hazardous compounds from undiluted materials is thus an important factor to consider when assessing the risks from dermal exposures.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Structural and replicative diversity of large plasmids from sphingomonads that degrade polycyclic aromatic compounds and xenobiotics.

The plasmids from 16 sphingomonads which degrade various xenobiotics and polycyclic aromatic compounds were compared with the previously sequenced plasmid pNL1 from Sphingomonas aromaticivorans F199. The replicase genes repAaAb from plasmid pNL1 were amplified by PCR and used as a gene probe for the identification of plasmids belonging to the same incompatibility group as plasmid pNL1. Plasmids were prepared from various sphingomonads and hybridized with the repA gene probe. Positive hybridization signals were obtained with plasmids of approximately 160-195 kb from Sphingomonas subterranea and S. aromaticivorans B0695, which had been isolated from the same subsurface location as S. aromaticivorans F199. The repA probe also hybridized with plasmids from Sphingomonas xenophaga BN6, Sphingomonas sp. HH69 and Sphingomonas macrogoltabidus, which had been isolated from different continents and which utilize different organic compounds than S. aromaticivorans F199 and the other subsurface strains. The results of the hybridization experiments were confirmed by PCR experiments using primers deduced from the repAaAb region of plasmid pNL1. Nucleotide sequence comparisons suggested that three gene clusters were conserved between plasmid pNL1 and plasmid pBN6 from the naphthalenesulfonate- degrading strain S. xenophaga BN6. From these sequence comparisons, PCR primers were derived in order to detect the respective gene clusters in the other strains and to deduce their position relative to each other. These experiments demonstrated that all analysed subsurface strains harboured the same three gene clusters, but that the position and distance from each other of the clusters varied considerably among the different strains.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2003

The application of high-performance liquid chromatography humic acid columns in determination of Koc of polycyclic aromatic compounds.

An improvement of a method for determination of the distribution coefficient for polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) between organic carbon and water (Koc) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is presented in this paper. By use of silica-based HPLC columns with chemically immobilized humic acid (Aldrich, Zigma-Aldrich, Taufkirchen, Germany), the retention of PAC to humic acid can be measured, and the results can, when they are compared to those from a blank column, be used to a direct determination of Koc. These values agree quite well with literature Koc values for two- to four-ringed PAC. Our work has shown that it is possible to use this method to investigate how environmental parameters like electrolyte concentration, pH, and temperature affect the sorption of PAC to humic acid. Thermodynamic parameters can be estimated from variable temperature experiments. The advantage of the method is its cost and manpower effectiveness.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed2004

Study of the photoinduced degradation of polycyclic musk compounds by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Polycyclic musks are widely used synthetic fragrances that have been identified during the last few years in biota samples and environmental matrices. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information concerning the photodegradation behavior of these compounds. In this work, the photoinduced degradation of six polycyclic musk compounds (Cashmeran, Celestolide, Phantolide, Galaxolide, Traseolide and Tonalide) was studied using a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber as support. Musk fragrances were extracted from aqueous solutions using SPME fibers that were subsequently exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for different times. To study the degradation kinetics and to tentatively identify the photoproducts generated, gas chromatography coupled to ion trap mass spectrometry was used. Aqueous photodegradation studies were also performed. The on-fiber photodegradation approach avoids the need for further extraction processes and makes the identification of photoproducts easier, due to their higher concentration on the fibers. All musk compounds were easily photodegraded, suggesting that UV irradiation could work as a decontamination tool for these musks.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1991

Use of a moving-belt interface for on-line high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry characterization of polycyclic aromatic compounds of molecular weight up to 580 Da in environmental samples.

The applicability of the moving belt high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) interface to the analysis of high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in a complex sample derived from coal tar is investigated. This interface provides good preservation of chromatographic integrity and useful electron ionization spectra of thermally stable PACs of low to moderate volatility up to molecular masses of at least 580 Da. It is concluded that this HPLC/MS technique will be useful in the analysis of such complex samples, provided a large enough suite of standard compounds can be made available.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry↗

PubMed1981

Structural gene products of the murine Ah complex. Differences in ontogenesis and glucosamine incorporation between liver microsomal cytochromes P1-450 and P-448 induced by polycyclic aromatic compounds.

Antibodies against mouse-liver microsomal cytochromes P1-450 and P-448, two polycyclic aromatic inducible cytochromes, were previously developed [Negishi, M. and Nebert, D.W. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 11015-11023]. Liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated and phenobarbital-treated and control adult mice and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-treated adult and fetal mice were examined. Immunoprecipitable radioactivity was measured, following labeling with pyridoxal phosphate/NaB[3H]4 or with 125I-labeled p-aminosulfobenzoic acid/NaNO2 in vitro or with [3H]leucine, [14C]glucosamine, or [32P]O4 in vivo. (a) Induction of cytochrome P1-450 occurs developmentally earlier in gestation than induction of cytochrome P-448 when the mother is treated with polycyclic aromatic compounds. (b) There appears to be a basal form of cytochrome P-448 but no cytochrome P1-450 in control liver microsomes; inducibility of cytochrome P-448 thus ranges between 5--12-fold, whereas that of P1-450 is infinite. (c) Phenobarbital pretreatment induces no detectable P1-450 or P-448. (d) P-448 appears to be either greater in concentration than P1-450 in the membrane or more exposed than P1-450 on the microsomal membrane surface. (e) By the radioimmunoassay methods used, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced P1-450 and P-448 in Ah-nonresponsive mice are indistinguishable from those in Ah-responsive mice; this is true in both the fetus and the adult. (f) Compared with P-448 expression, the expression of P1-450 is more closely associated with 3-methylcholanthrene-induced aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity, and these two structural gene products are apparently regulated independently. (g) P-448 but not P1-450 appears to be a glycoprotein. These data illustrate further differences between two forms of polycyclic aromatic-inducible P-450 in mouse liver. Neither P1-450 nor P-448 appears to be a phosphoprotein. Neither anti-(P1-450) nor anti-(P-448) precipitates any forms of liver microsomal P-450 from beta-naphthoflavone-treated adult rabbits and, conversely, anti-LM4 (the antibody to rabbit liver microsomal P-450 form 4) does not precipitate any forms of liver microsomal P-450 from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated C57BL/6N mice.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Effects of eight polycyclic aromatic compounds on the survival and reproduction of Enchytraeus crypticus (Oligochaeta, Clitellata).

The effects of eight polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) on the survival and reproduction of the enchytraeid worm Enchytraeus crvpticus were investigated in an agricultural soil with an organic carbon content of 1.6%. With the exception of acridine, which showed a strong binding to the test soil and a subsequent low toxicity, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and neutral N-, S-, O-monosubstituted analogues showed a similar toxicity to the enchytraeids. Concentrations estimated to give a 10% reduction of reproductive output (EC10 values) were based on measured initial concentrations and were, for acridine, 310 mg/kg; for carbazole, 19 mg/kg; for dibenzofuran, 36 mg/kg, for dibenzothiophene, 40 and 45 mg/kg (two tests); for fluoranthene, 15 mg/kg; for fluorene, 25 mg/kg; for phenanthrene, 40 mg/kg; and for pyrene, 11 mg/kg. Using reported soil-pore-water partitioning coefficients for the substances in question, equilibrium pore-water concentrations could be estimated from the total soil concentrations. Calculated EC10 values, expressed as log10(mmol/L pore water), were negatively related to the lipophilicity (log Kow) of the compounds (r2 = 0.58; p = 0.027, n = 8), thus indicating a rather nonspecific (narcotic) mode of toxic action for these compounds. When compared with literature ecotoxicity data for a springtail (Folsomia fimetaria) tested in the same soil type, enchytraeids generally seem less sensitive.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

[Phototoxic effect of polycyclic aromatic compounds on human fibroblast cultures].

The phototoxic effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(a)anthrazene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, fluoranthene and perylene, and their relation to the known carcinogenicity of these compounds was examined with human fibroblastic cultures. Using different light filters it could be demonstrated that phototoxic effects on the cell cultures only occur with wave lengths shorter than 400 nm, that is in the longwave UV-region. With wave lengths longer than 400 nm, that is in the visible region of light, no cytotoxic effects could be detected. Irradiated with long-wave UV, the highly cancerogenic compounds benzo(a)pyrene, and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene proved to be highly cytotoxic, the moderately cancerogenic benzo(a)anthrazene turned out to be distintly cytotoxic, fluoranthene supposed to be not cancerogenic, proved to be only slightly cytotoxic. Perylene that is considered not cancerogenic either, reacted completely indifferent. These results are completely compatible with those obtained earlier with ciliata (unicellular protozoa). They confirm the assumption that the so-called ciliata test (Tetrahymena pyriformis) can be used as a practicable test system to ascertain the carcinogenicity of PAH.

Carcinogens↗

PubMed1976

Mutagenicity and purative carcinogenicity tests of several polycyclic aromatic compounds associated with impurities of the insecticide methoxychlor.

Several polycyclic hydrocarbons, 3,6-dimethoxy-9,10-bis(p-methoxyphenyl)-phenathrene, tetrakis(p-methoxyphenylyethylene and 3,6,11,14-tetramethoxydibenzo(g,p)chrysene, which are associated as impurities in commerical samples of the insecticide methoxychlor, have been tested in the Ames mutagenicity test with strains of Salmonella thyphimurium, TA 1535, TA 1537, TA 1538, and TA 98. Activation by liver microsomes induced with either phenobarbitol or Aroclor was examined. The only active compound was 3,6,11,14-tetramethoxydibenzo(g,p)chrysene, mutagenic (0.39 revertants/nmol) tostrain TA 98.

Chrysenes↗