MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY OF THE PRODUCTS OF THE PHOTOOXIDATION OF ALLYL CHLORIDE.

We have recently demonstrated that simple atmospheric hydrocarbons that are themselves non-hazardous can be converted into strongly mutagenic products as a result of atmospheric photochemistry. For example, we have shown that propylene, a reactive component of urban atmospheres, can be photochemically converted into strong mutagens, as determined using an adapted version of the Ames test. This then raised the question as to whether the photooxidation products of hazardous air pollutants (e. g. chlorinated hydrocarbons) would be substantially more mutagenic than those from non-hazardous hydrocarbons. As a logical first candidate for study, we have conducted a series of exposures of Salmonella typhimurium (the Ames test organism) strain TA100 to the products of the photooxidation of allyl chloride (3-chloropropene), a chlorine-substituted analogue of propylene, and a hazardous air pollutant (HAP) being considered for regulatory action.