Mutagens in Airborne Particulate Pollutants and Nitro Derivatives Produced by Exposure of Aromatic Compounds to Gaseous Pollutants

Most of the mutagenicity in airborne particulate pollutants is found in respirable particles less than 1 μm in diameter, and polycyclic aromatic hardrocarbons (PAHs) or their derivatives seem to be important mutagens in these particles. In fact, the neutral fraction extracted from airborne particulates contains direct- and indirect-acting mutagens, and accounts for 48% of the mutagenic activity of the whole extract (Tokiwa et al., 1980).