Contribution of wood smoke and motor-vehicle emissions to ambient aerosol mutagenicity (journal version)

Technical Report · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6414887

Lewis, C W; Baumgardner, R E; Stevens, R K; Claxton, L D; Lewtas, J

Mutagenicity is frequently considered as a screening test for the carcinogenicity of compounds to which humans are exposed. Past estimates of the mutagenicity of ambient aerosols have depended on measurements of the mutagenic potency (refertants/microg) of the extractable organic matter (EOM) in Salmonella typhimurium from specific source emissions and their mass emission rate. This source-oriented approach requires an explicit model for the dispersion and possible transformation of the mutagens in the atmosphere. However, a receptor-oriented approach, demonstrated here, requires only ambient measurements of mutagenicity and of trace elements that are markers for the suspected sources of the mutagens. During winter at a residential site, wood smoke and motor-vehicle emissions were found to make nearly equal contributions to the average mutagenic concentration (refertants/cu m) of the fine-particle ambient aerosol. Mutagenic potency of the fine particle EOM traced to motor vehicles, however, was three times greater than that with a wood smoke origin. The results are consistent with the known potency of these sources, from source measurements.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (USA). Health Effects Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 6414887
• Report Number(s): PB-89-142749/XAB; EPA-600/J-88/237
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
BUILDINGS
CARCINOGENESIS
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
EXHAUST GASES
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
MUTAGENESIS
PATHOGENESIS
POLLUTION
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RESIDUES
SAMPLING
SMOKES
SOLS
VEHICLES
WASTES
WOOD