Mutagenic Activity of Concentrated Drinking Water Samples

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) andBrogan & Partners are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Environmental Health Perspectives.Concentrated drinking water extracts prepared by adsorption onto XAD-2 resin have been tested for their ability to induce chromosome damage in mammalian cells. Extracts prepared from drinking waters derived from upland and lowland sources have been found to induce chromosome aberrations in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and human lymphocytes in vitro. Although the identity of the compounds responsible for this activity is unknown, they are generated when the water is chlorinated and appear to bind readily to exogenous protein.When groups of mice were dosed orally with a concentrated water extract, however, no evidence of clastogenic activity in bone marrow cells was apparent. The absence of an in vivo effect may indicate that the mutagenic compounds failed to reach the bone marrow. The possibility that genetic damage could be induced in the cells first encountered in the body after ingestion (i.e., cells in the esophagus, stomach, and intestinal tract) is not precluded by this result. The relevance of these findings in evaluating the potential health hazard of mutagenic compounds in drinking water is discussed.

Genotoxicity of surface water treated with different disinfectants using in situ plant tests

“…Drinking water has been intensively examined for gene mutations, primarily by assaying extracts of water in bacterial tests, and several studies on different disinfectants have been carried out [Koivusalo et al, 1994;Loper et al, 1980;Monarca 1985Monarca , 1998Monarca , 2002aRomero et al, 1992;Tuomisto et al, 1990;Wilcox and Williamson, 1986;Wilcox et al, 1988]. Plant genotoxicity tests measure different genetic endpoints (clastogenicity and aneugenicity) and allow researchers to study water in situ, without requiring lengthy and expensive methods for concentration.…”

“…Among the new disinfectants, peracetic acid (CH 3 -CO-OOH, PAA) deserves to be studied for its application in drinking water disinfection, since it is a potent antimicrobial agent and has many applications in hospitals, laboratories, and factories [Baldry et al, 1991[Baldry et al, , 1995Lefevre et al, 1992]. More recently, PAA has been found to be an effective biocidal compound for wastewater disinfection, and previous research showed that disinfection of lake and river drinking water with PAA gave rise to a very low level of genotoxicity and produced only carboxylic acids [Monarca et al, 2002a], which are not recognized as mutagenic.Drinking water has been intensively examined for gene mutations, primarily by assaying extracts of water in bacterial tests, and several studies on different disinfectants have been carried out [Koivusalo et al, 1994;Loper et al, 1980;Monarca 1985Monarca , 1998Monarca , 2002aRomero et al, 1992;Tuomisto et al, 1990;Wilcox and Williamson, 1986;Wilcox et al, 1988]. Plant genotoxicity tests measure different genetic endpoints (clastogenicity and aneugenicity) and allow researchers to study water in situ, without requiring lengthy and expensive methods for concentration.…”

Mammalian cell cytotoxicity and genotoxicity analysis of drinking water disinfection by‐products

“…The most widely used chemical disinfectants in public supplies are chlorine, chloramine, ozone, and chlorine dioxide [Minear and Amy, 1996]. Studies demonstrated that concentrated extracts of disinfected drinking waters were toxic in many in vivo and in vitro bioassays [Wilcox and Williamson, 1986;Bull, 2000]. Most drinking water disinfection by-products form as a result of the reaction between organic constituents in raw water and chemical disinfectants.…”

Identification de composés génotoxiques dans les eaux de boisson

“…Les extraits d'eau potable ont démontré des capacités significatives à induire sur cellules d'ovaire de hamster chinois, des échanges de chromatides soeurs, des aberrations chromosomiques (ATHANA-SIOU et KYRTOPOULOS, 1983;DOUGLAS étal., 1986;WILCOX et WILLIAMSON, 1986 ;WILCOX et al, 1988), et la formation de micronoyaux (WILCOX et WILLIAM- SON, 1986). Les travaux de Wilcox indiquent également que les extraits d'eau potable produisent des aberrations chromosomiques sur des lymphocytes humains in vitro, mais ne produisent pas d'aberrations chromosomiques sur cellules de moelle osseuse de souris in vivo, ni de mutations létales récessives liées au sexe chez la drosophile (WILCOX et al, 1988).…”