3-CHLORO-P-TOLUIDINE HYDROCHLORIDE - IN-VITRO MUTAGENICITY STUDIES FOR HUMAN HEALTH-HAZARDS DETERMINATIONS

3-Chloro-p-toluidine hydrochloride (CPT-HCl) is an aniline derivative used in the manufacture of the dye palatine fast yellow; it is also re gistered as a selective, low-volume-use (<45 kg/yr) avicide. Three in vitro mutagenicity tests of CPT-HCl were performed according to method s recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): the A mes/Salmonella assay, the Chinese hamster ovary/hypoxanthine-guanine p hosphoribosyltransferase (CHO/HPRT) mammalian cell forward gene mutati on assay, and the CHO chromosome aberration assay. CPT-HCl did not dis play mutagenic activity using the Ames/Salmonella or CHO/HPRT assays. However, CPT-HCl induced statistically significant, concentration-depe ndent, metabolically activated increases in the proportion of aberrant cells and aberrations/cell in cultured CHO cells. Results are suggest ive of minimal mutagenicity effects associated with exposure to anilin es and their derivatives.