Mutagenicity of municipal water obtained from an agricultural area

Abstract

We have studied the mutagenicity of the water from Lake Bloomington and of the tap water that is made from the lake water. The lake, which is the source of drinking water for Bloomington, Illinois (pop. 44,000), is surrounded by land that is farmed intensively--being mainly in maize and soybeans. Samples were collected monthly from May through October 1979 and concentrated 3,000X with XAD-2 resin. Nearly all of the lake and tap water concentrates were mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 in the presence of S-9 mix, and the May tap water concentrate was highly mutagenic. In addition, many of the concentrates were toxic to the bacteria in the absence of S-9 mix. Chemical analysis of the highly mutagenic tap water concentrate from May revealed the presence of a number of organic contaminants that were absent from control concentrates prepared from deionized and distilled treated-well water. In addition, unconcentrated lake and tap water were tested in a reverse-mutation test in maize (Zea mays); no mutagenicity was detected. This study indicates that the contamination of drinking water with agricultural and/or industrial chemicals may result in a potential health hazard.

Mutagenicity of bottom sediment from a water reservoir

“…The mutagenicity of raw water or extracts of water has also been reported in the mouse fibroblast cell test 1241 and with the micronucleus test of Tradescantia (Ma et al, manuscript in preparation). In one study, the mutagenicity of municipal water was also tested with the reverse-mutation test in Zea muys, with no detection of mutagenicity, although mutagenicity to Salmonella was reported [34]. Loper [43] concluded that drinking water can contain a vast number of nonmutagens, possibly some mutagens of low activity and a small number of highly mutagenic compounds.…”

Critical Effective Methods to Detect Genotoxic Carcinogens and Neoplasm-Promoting Agents

“…Even so, the Ames test is an economic, rapid, and valuable component of screening batteries. It has been used to study the occurrence of Ames-positive mutagens in water or in concentrates of water (27)(28)(29) (36,37). Likewise, in the nutritionally linked cancers, dietary fat translates to metabolic effects such as control of bile acid levels that promote colon cancer or effects on the endocrine system that enhance the risk for breast cancer.…”

Critical effective methods to detect genotoxic carcinogens and neoplasm-promoting agents.

“…Even so, the Ames test is an economic, rapid, and valuable component of screening batteries. It has been used to study the occurrence of Ames-positive mutagens in water or in concentrates of water (27)(28)(29). Thus, a positive finding in the Ames test is essentially a warning that a potential, although certainly not an actual, cancer risk is present.…”