GENOTOXICITY OF INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS, RIVER WATERS, AND THEIR FRACTIONS USING THE AMES TEST AND IN-VITRO CYTOGENETIC ASSAY

Total and fractionated organic extracts from industrial effluents and Labe river water were tested for mutagenicity using the Ames test with TA98 strain and its YG derivatives (YG1021, YG1024 and YG1041) and cy togenetic analysis with human peripheral lymphocytes in vitro. The bac terial mutagenicity results showed a dose-dependent increase in number s of TA98 revertants (10(5)) with effluent extracts and lower, but sti ll significant, increase (10(3)) with river water extracts 6 km downst ream. The further increase of YG revertants indicates the possible pre sence of nitroarenes and aromatic amines in the tested samples. In fra ctionated samples the significant mutagenicity was detected in two-pol ar acidic and polar basic-fractions, but the numbers of revertants in all effluent fractions were about one order of magnitude lower compare d with total extracts results. The cytogenetic effect in human periphe ral lymphocytes in vitro was not significant. The increase in chromoso mal aberrations was not clearly dose-dependent and may reflect more th e combination of toxic and clastogenic effects.