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Ozone is mutagenic in Salmonella
D Dillon1, R Combes, M McConville
1Inveresk Research International Ltd., Tranent, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Ozone gas showed weak mutagenic effects in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA102, but only under specific, low-dose conditions. Further testing confirmed ozone is a very weak bacterial mutagen, requiring precise exposure parameters.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Ozone (O3) is a reactive gas with known toxicity, complicating genotoxicity assessments.
- Previous studies faced challenges in controlled ozone administration and observing genetic damage due to its high reactivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mutagenicity of ozone in bacterial systems.
- To determine if ozone induces genetic mutations in Salmonella typhimurium under controlled conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a specialized plate test protocol for reactive gases and vapors.
- Exposed Salmonella typhimurium strains (TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA102, TA104) to ozone with and without rat liver S9.
- Varied ozone concentrations, flow rates, and exposure times to identify effective subtoxic dosing.
Main Results:
- Ozone induced weak, statistically significant mutagenic responses in strain TA102 at low concentrations (0.019 ppm).
- Mutagenic effects in TA102 were observed with and without metabolic activation (S9).
- No mutagenicity was detected in strains TA98, TA100, or TA1535; results in TA104 were inconsistent.
Conclusions:
- Ozone is a very weak bacterial mutagen.
- Effective mutagenicity requires narrowly defined, subtoxic exposure conditions, highlighting the importance of dose and exposure time.