Mutagenic and carcinogenic activity of a hydrotreated coal liquid

A fuel-oil blend (FOB) and its hydrotreated product from the solvent-refined coal (SRC) II process were evaluated for their mutagenic and carcinogenic potential. The FOB was highly active in both cellular assays, as well as in animal (skin-painting) studies. Cell-transforming and mutagenic activities of hydrotreated FOB were consistently found to be lower than for untreated FOB. Finally, while most of the initiating activity (in the animal assay) was lost following hydrotreatment, the data indicate that the hydrotreated FOB still had significant skin-tumor-promoting activity.