In situ monitoring of the ambient air around the chloroprene rubber industrial plant using the Tradescantia-stamen-hair mutation assay

The city of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, has been one of the heavily po lluted cities since the earlier USSR era. A Chloroprene Rubber Industrial P lant has been the major contributor of air pollution in this city. The firs t attempt has been undertaken to detect the mutagenic effect of the ambient air around this industrial complex using the Tradescantia-stamen-hair-muta tion (Trad-SHM) assay. Tradescantia clone 02 was used for this study. Pots of Tradescantia plants were exposed to ambient air in 10 different location s around the industrial establishment during the months of May and June, 19 91 and 1992. Three series of in situ monitoring experiments were carried ou t. In the first series, sites numbers 1 through 4 were located in the indus trial complex, and the second series, sites numbers 5 through 7 were locate d 1.0-1.3 km away from the Rubber Plant and the third series, sites numbers 8 though 10 were situated 1.5 km from the chemical plant and the monitorin g plants were elevated at 5, 13, and 32 m above ground. A control group of plants were grown in a greenhouse about 13 km away from the polluted air fr om the chemical plant. Results of these two consecutive year's study show s ignificantly elevated high levels of pink mutation events (PME) over the co ntrol at sites 1, 2, and 4 in the first series of the study. Positive respo nses were observed at all sites in the second series of the study. Only sit e 8 (June 1991) in the third series of the study was significantly higher i n PME over the control. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.