Haloacetonitriles (HANs) are toxic nitrogenous drinking
water disinfection byproducts (N-DBPs) and are observed
with chlorine, chloramine, or chlorine dioxide disinfection.
Using microplate-based Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell
assays for chronic cytotoxicity and acute genotoxicity,
we analyzed 7 HANs: iodoacetonitrile (IAN), bromoacetonitrile
(BAN), dibromoacetonitrile (DBAN), bromochloroacetonitrile
(BCAN), chloroacetonitrile (CAN), dichloroacetonitrile
(DCAN), and trichloroacetonitrile (TCAN). The cytotoxic
potency (%C1/2 values) ranged from 2.8 μM (DBAN) to
0.16 mM (TCAN), with a descending rank order of DBAN
> IAN ≈ BAN > BCAN > DCAN > CAN > TCAN. HANs
induced acute genomic DNA damage; the single cell gel
electrophoresis (SCGE) genotoxicity potency ranged from
37 μM (IAN) to 2.7 mM (DCAN). The rank order of declining
genotoxicity was IAN > BAN ≈ DBAN > BCAN > CAN
> TCAN > DCAN. The accompanying structure−activity
analysis of these HANs was in general agreement with the
genotoxicity rank order. These data were incorporated
into our growing quantitative comparative DBP cytotoxicity
and genotoxicity databases. As a chemical class, the
HANs are more toxic than regulated carbon-based DBPs,
such as the haloacetic acids. The toxicity of N-DBPs
may become a health concern because of the increased
use of alternative disinfectants, such as chloramines, which
may enhance the formation of N-DBPs, including HANs.
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