Effects of waste incineration combustion emissions measured by some toxicity test systems

The toxicity of combustion emissions from a municipal incineration plant was tested in a series of rapid test methods. The series included tests concerning cellular energy metabolism, cellular detoxification and mutagenicity. In the most sensitive test systems, brown adipocytes and mitochondria, an effect was observed at an emission extract concentration corresponding to 0.02 m3 of exhaust. The results indicate an influence on the mitochondrial level as well as the premitochondrial level. In Ames' test concentrations corresponding to up to 0.3 m3 exhaust did not increase the number of revertants, although the chemical analysis of the emission indicates that the combustion emission contains mutagenic substances.