CYTOTOXICITY AND MUTAGENICITY OF KEVLAR(R) - AN IN-VITRO EVALUATION

Toxicity and mutagenicity of Kevlar(R)49 (PPPT; poly-para-phenylene-te rephthalamide) was tested in six strains of Salmonella typhimurium (Am es test; TA97, TA98, TA100, TA102, TA1535, TA1537) with and without an external metabolic activation system (S9), as well as in a mammalian cell mutagenesis assay using V79 Chinese hamster cells. For the Ames t est, liquid preincubation, which is considered particularly sensitive, was used. The cells were incubated for 24 h at a temperature of 37 de grees C either directly with Kevlar49 or with ethanol- or chloroform-e xtracted Kevlar49. The experiments were performed at least twice. The Ames test with six different Salmonella typhimurium strains featuring either base pair substitution or frameshift mutations revealed no cyto toxic or mutagenic activity of Kevlar49. In the mammalian cell mutagen esis assay, using 8-azaguanine (AG) as a selective agent, Kevlar49 was also devoid of cytotoxic or mutagenic activity. Both tests have to be regarded as an initial exploratory screening due to the chosen testin g conditions and should be supplemented by tests at different temperat ures.