In situ monitoring of the ambient air around the chloroprene rubber industrial plant using the Tradescantia–stamen–hair mutation assay

Abstract

The city of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, has been one of the heavily polluted cities since the earlier USSR era. A Chloroprene Rubber Industrial Plant has been the major contributor of air pollution in this city. The first attempt has been undertaken to detect the mutagenic effect of the ambient air around this industrial complex using the Tradescantia–stamen–hair-mutation (Trad-SHM) assay. Tradescantia clone 02 was used for this study. Pots of Tradescantia plants were exposed to ambient air in 10 different locations around the industrial establishment during the months of May and June, 1991 and 1992. Three series of in situ monitoring experiments were carried out. In the first series, sites numbers 1 through 4 were located in the industrial complex, and the second series, sites numbers 5 through 7 were located 1.0–1.3 km away from the Rubber Plant and the third series, sites numbers 8 though 10 were situated 1.5 km from the chemical plant and the monitoring plants were elevated at 5, 13, and 32 m above ground. A control group of plants were grown in a greenhouse about 13 km away from the polluted air from the chemical plant. Results of these two consecutive year's study show significantly elevated high levels of pink mutation events (PME) over the control at sites 1, 2, and 4 in the first series of the study. Positive responses were observed at all sites in the second series of the study. Only site 8 (June 1991) in the third series of the study was significantly higher in PME over the control.