Investigations on genotoxic effects of groundwater from the Mitterndorfer Senke and from the vicinity of Wiener Neustadt

Introduction: This report describes the first study on genotoxic effects of Austrian ground- and drinking waters. Samples from the Mitterndorfer Senke (MS) and the vicinity of Wiener Neustadt were tested over a three years pe riod. The MS is the largest aquifer in Austria. Due to deposition of indust rial and community wastes, chemicals have polluted the groundwater in this area. Aim of the present study was to elucidate if consumption of these wat ers might pose a carcinogenic risk to humans. Methods: 43 Water samples were tested in a test battery which consisted of bacterial gene mutation assays (Salmonella strains TA100 and TA98), micronu cleus (MN) assays with cultures of primary rat hepatocytes and plant bioass ays (MN tests with Tradescantia and Vicia faba). For the bacterial assays, the water samples were extracted with XAD resins. Results: In total, 27,9% of the samples caused positive effects; 8 samples were active in Salmonella microsome assays, Strain TA100 was particularly s ensitive upon addition of metabolic activation mix (6 positive samples). Fo ur samples were positive exclusively in MN assays with cultures of primary rat hepatocytes; one sample gave positive results in all three bioassays. F inished waters from waterworks were consistently devoid of mutagenic activi ty under all experimental conditions. Discussion: Overall, only a small fraction of the groundwaters caused mutag enic effects and in all cases the activities were moderate. Comparison of t he results of the present study with data obtained in other investigations under similar experimental conditions shows that the genotoxicity of ground waters of the MS area are lower than the effects caused by ground- and drin king waters from other countries. The fact that no genotoxic activity was d etected in any of the finished drinking waters can be taken as an indicatio n that consumption of these waters does not pose a health hazard arising fr om contamination with genotoxic carcinogens to humans.