Application of Tradescantia micronucleus assay for in-situ evaluation of potential genetic hazards from exposure to chemicals at a wood-preserving site

Technical Report · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:7249554

Sandhu, S S; Gill, B S; Casto, B C; Rice, J W

In situ evaluation of biological hazards from wood preserving chemicals at a hazardous waste site using the Tradescantia micronucleus assay (Trad-MCN) is reported in the study. The chemical analysis of soil samples from the site showed high contamination with arsenic (1,292 mg/kg), chromium (1,444 mg/kg) and copper (924 mg/kg) on the surface of the drip area where wood was allowed to dry after the treatment. Exposure of Tradescantia plants grown within or adjacent to the drip area showed significantly (P=0.05) higher frequencies of micronuclei when compared to plants grown in nearby control plots. After remediation, the levels of arsenic, chromium, and copper were substantially reduced and concomitantly no genotoxic activity was observed in plants grown on-site or in plants exposed in the laboratory to a slurry of soil samples from the site. The results from the pilot study show that simple plant assays such as Trad-MCN can be used as a sentinel for environmental contamination and to assess the efficacy of clean-up efforts.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Health Effects Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 7249554
• Report Number(s): PB-92-217231/XAB; EPA--600/J-92/282
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ARSENIC
CHROMIUM
CONTAMINATION
COPPER
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HERBS
LAND POLLUTION
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
MUTAGEN SCREENING
NORTH AMERICA
PLANTS
POLLUTION
REMEDIAL ACTION
SCREENING
SEMIMETALS
SENSITIVITY
SOILS
SOUTH CAROLINA
TOXICITY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT