Fluoranthene, a volatile mutagenic compound, present in creosote and coal tar

Creosote, a coal-tar distillation product, contains mutagens which are volatile at 37 degrees C. After distillation of creosote we found that these volatile mutagens were present in the distillation fraction with the highest boiling range (greater than 360 degrees C). The "volatile mutagenic activity" was connected with the presence of fluoranthene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Commercially available fluoranthene was positive in the so-called "taped-plate assay" (the test system used for the detection of volatile mutagens) towards the strains TA98 and TA100 in the presence of S9 mix. The tested creosote and coal tar contained fluoranthene in concentrations of 5.2 and 2.2%, respectively.