GENOTOXICITY OF DITHIOCARBAMATES AND THEIR METABOLITES

Dithiocarbamate fungicides are widely used in agriculture for protecti on of vegetable crops and seeds. The mutagenicity spectra of ziram, th iram, zineb S-65 and ETU were determined by employing a battery of tes t systems included the bacterium Salmonella typhimurium (strains TA98, TA100, TA102, TA104, TA1535, TA1538), the yeast Saccharomyces cerevis iae (strain D61.M) and the shallot Allium ascalonicum somatic cells. P late incorporation assay with S. typhimurium demonstrated direct mutag enicity of ziram in TA100 and thiram in TA100 and TA98 whereas zineb S -65 and ETU were ineffective. Tests for mitotic chromosome malsegregat ion in S. cerevisiae D61.M gave positive results with thiram, zineb S- 69 and ETU. In shallot somatic root-tip cells ziram, thiram and ETU in duced different genetic damages e.g. mitotic disturbance, polyploidy a nd micronuclei.