Mutagenicity of trinitrotoluene and metabolites formed during anaerobic degradation by Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) and its metabolites formed during anaerobic deg radation are mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 when checke d in the absence of rat liver activation system (S9). The monohydroxylamino derivatives that are formed as first-step intermediates of the pathway are less mutagenic than TNT, but the dihydroxylamino derivative that is the se cond intermediate is much more mutagenic than the parent compound. Whereas TNT is very stable under aerobic as well as anaerobic conditions, the hydro xylamine derivatives are not. The dihydroxylamino derivative of TNT that is the most mutagenic is less stable compared with the monohydroxylamino deri vatives of TNT.