Abstract
Samples of airborne particulates from the Athens atmosphere were examined for mutagenicity and various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Extracts induced linear, dose-related increases in TA98 His + revertants in the Ames/Salmonella assay and contained average benzo[ a]pyrene (B aP) levels of 3.9 ng/m 3 of air. The levels of revertants/m 3 of the samples showed a linear relation to their B aP and benzo[ b]-(B bF) + benzo[ k]-fluoranthene (B kF) concentrations and were higher in areas with dense traffic than in industrial areas. It is suggested that the atmosphere of Athens favours the formation of secondary direct-acting mutagens due to the oxidation and nitration of PAH by ozone and nitrogen oxides, which are more abundant in the late spring months.
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