A compilation of genotoxicity and carcinogenicity data on aromatic aminosulphonic acids

A review is presented to evaluate existing information on genotoxicity and carcinogenicity testing of various aromatic aminosulphonic acids (AASAs). A great variety of water-soluble azo dyes can form aromatic phenyl- or naphthyl-aminosulphonic acids by chemical and enzymatic reduction. AASAs are also used as intermediates in the synthesis of azo dyes and azo pigments and can arise as contaminants in the final products. Comparisons have been made with the data available on the corresponding unsulphonated analogues, some of which are known to be genotoxic and/or carcinogenic. The vast majority of the AASAs were conclusively non-mutagenic in the Ames test. In most cases the absence of genotoxicity was also demonstrated with a variety of other test systems in vitro and in vivo. It is concluded that AASAs, in contrast with some of their unsulphonated analogues, generally have no or very low genotoxic and tumorigenic potential.