Assessment of exposure to genotoxicants in a foundry

The mutagenicity of acetone extracts of airborne particles sampled during two seasons at different work sites in a foundry and of foundry workers' urine concentrates was determined by the Salmonella plate incorporation assay. In general, the ambient concentration of particles did not correlate with the air mutagenicity at different work sites. The considerable seasonal variation in the mass concentration of fumes and/or dust and in the airborne particles and air mutagenicity, was apparently related to changes in the intensity of work at some work sites. Because of confounding with smoking, urine mutagenicity was not found suitable for assessment of individual exposure, even though at a group level some correlation in mutagenicity was observed between the air at specific work sites and the workers' urine.