[Study on genotoxicity of aldicarb and methomyl]

Genotoxicity of aldicarb and methomyl was explored. The aldicarb and methomyl were diluted by the deionized water respectively, and then five concentrations of aldicarb were generated as 0.002, 0.02, 0.2, 2, 20 microg/L, methomyl as 0.02, 0.2, 2, 20, 200 microg/L. The micronucleus of carp erythrocyte was counted by micronucleus test. The mutation of bacteria was assessed by Ames test. The DNA damage of human lymphocytes was tested by comet assay. The genotoxicity of aldicarb and methomyl was estimated by the three toxicology tests mentioned above. The results showed that, in the micronucleus test, both any concentration of two pesticides were not able to induce higher frequency of micronucleus in carp erythrocyte (p > 0.05). Under condition of metabolic inactivation, although the number of colony with back mutation in any concentration of two pesticides did not exceed the double number of those with spontaneous mutation, the revertants of TA97 strains in the aldicarb 2-20 microg/L and the methomyl 20-200 microg/L were (129.17 +/- 17.00), (129.50 +/- 18.28), (109.83 +/- 10.80) and (114.17 +/- 9.37) entries/plate, respectively, they were significantly greater than those in spontaneous mutation (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). In the methomyl 200 microg/L group, the revertants of TA100 and TA102 strains were (147.83 +/- 23.29) and (275.83 +/- 20.63) entries/plate, respectively, they are significantly higher than that of the control group under condition of metabolic activation (p < 0.05). In comet assay, both the high concentration groups of aldicarb and methomyl resulted in different degrees of DNA damage of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Compared with deionized water group, all of three indexes of comet assay in the aldicarb 20 microg/L groups and the methomyl 200 microg/L groups were significantly higher (p < 0.01). Despite that both aldicarb and methomyl did not results in damaging chromosome carp erythrocyte and producing apparent mutagenicity, the effect of mutagenicity and DNA damage in human lymphocytes were observed in high concentration groups of both aldicarb and methomyl. Water polluted by aldicarb and methomyl may have the potential adverse effects on the environment and human health.