Chemical Mutagens in the Human Environment

Abstract

CHEMICAL mutagens in the environment are a hazard which has not so far been systematically explored. Although certain mutagens—notably ionizing radiations and alkylating agents—have been studied in detail in bacteria^1,2 and Drosophila^3,4, their relevance to man is not always apparent. M. Legator (personal communication) has considered the influence of host-mediated drug effects by studying mutagenicity in bacteria in a mammalian environment. Lüming⁵, in discussing testing for mutagenicity, stated: “The use of mammals in such tests would be both expensive and time-consuming, and might slow down even more the development of new drugs”, but Bateman⁶ considered the use of mammals in tests of mutagenicity to be practical and more meaningful than studies with other systems in the context of human hazards. We present here preliminary data on the feasibility of mutagenicity testing in mice based on screening a wide variety of environmental pollutants, including carcinogens, air and water pollutants, pharmaceuticals, food additives and pesticides.