Mutagenicity of emissions from a natural gas fueled truck

Concern about the potential health risks of particulate exhaust emissions from diesel-fueled vehicles has led regulatory agencies to foster the use of natural gas fueled heavy duty vehicles. However, the potential health risks of particulate exhaust emissions from natural gas fueled vehicles have not been well-studied. The present study investigated the mutagenicity of particulate exhaust emissions from a natural gas fueled refuse truck currently in-service. Organic solvent extracts of exhaust particulate emissions from the natural gas fueled truck were positive in both Salmonella tester strains TA98 and TA100 in the presence and absence of S-9. The maximum mutagenic responses ranged from 7-fold in the TA100 strain to 87-fold in the TA98 strain when compared to negative controls. Our results show that current in-service natural gas fueled heavy duty trucks have particulate exhaust emissions that possess mutagenic activity. This finding requires follow-up studies to develop a database on natural gas fueled vehicles for comparison with data on diesel-fueled vehicles to aid in making decisions on use of alternative fuels to reduce air pollution health risks.