[The carcinogenic and genotoxic action of the substances in the exhaust gases from internal combustion engines]. / Kantserogennoe i genotoksicheskoe deistvie veshchestv v otrabotannykh gazakh dvigatelei vnutrennego sgoraniia.

The review presents physicochemical methods of the study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and analysis of substances composing the exhausts of the internal combustion engines (ICE). High carcinogenic effect of the ICE exhausts due to the presence of nitro-PAHs was confirmed in the experiments with animals and the mutagenic effect was detected in the Ames test. A necessity to study carcinogenic and mutagenic effects of nitro-PAHs in a view to reveal their potential human health hazard is emphasized.

[Carcinogenic action of soot extracts and the composition of the aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons in emissions of the coke chemical industry]. / Kantserogennoe deistvie ékstraktov sazhi i sostab politsiklicheskikh aromaticheskikh uglevodorodov v vybrosakh koksokhimicheskogo proizvodstva.

Carcinogenicity of the extract of "unorganized" emission of coke-oven batteries of the coke and by-product processes, 15 polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH), solution of 4 carcinogenic PAH and benz(a)pyrene (BP) was studied in longterm experiments on (CBAXC57Bl/6)F1 hybrid mice. 1.5 ml of olive oil containing 1 mg of BP or the respective amount of PAH proportionally to their content in the extract were administered to each mouse. The sarcomas developed in 46.6% of mice which had received injections of the extract and in 95 to 100% of mice which had received injection of PAH and BP solution. Thus, the results demonstrated that besides carcinogenic PAH the emissions contain substances which inhibit the tumour development. Our data confirm a possibility of using BP as an indicator in the evaluation of carcinogenicity of industrial emission discharges of the coke and by-product processes.

[Distribution, formation, carcinogenic and mutagenic activities of nitro derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons]. / Raspredelenie, obrazovanie, kantserogennaia i mutagennaia aktivnost' nitroproizvodnykh politsiklicheskikh aromaticheskikh uglevodorodov.

Nitro-PAHs (nitro-substituted derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are a class of chemical compounds with high biologic activity. They have been detected in samples of air pollutants, diesel and gasoline engine exhausts, in airplane exhaust emissions, cigarette smoke condensate, emissions of coke ovens, wood-burning fireplaces, coal-fired plants, in food and tea. Concentrations of nitro-PAHs have been compared with those of PAHs present in air pollutant samples and emissions from different sources. Information on the environmental occurrence, formation, and decomposition of nitro-PAHs in the atmosphere is given. Biologic effects (carcinogenic and mutagenic) of pure nitro-PAHs and nitro-PAHs-containing complex mixtures are discussed.

[Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of waste products of the coal-tar industry and the mutagenic effect of soot extracts]. / Soderzhanie politskiklicheskikh aromaticheskikh uglevodorodov v vybrosakh koksokhimicheskogo proizvodstva i mutagennoe deistvie ekstraktov iz sazhi.

The content of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in organized and nonorganized effluents of cake- and by-product processes at the Rustavi integrated iron-and-steel works was quantitatively determined by the method of low-temperature spectrofluorescence. Contents of BP and other PAH in nonorganized effluents is 100 and more times higher than those in the organized one and play a decisive role in pollution of the low atmospheric layer. The effluent is characterized by a specific PAH composition and therefore BP may be both a quantitative and a qualitative indicator of PAH. The mutagenic effect was studied by the Ames method with S. typhimurium TA 100 as a test strain. The extracts from soot of nonorganized cake-batlery effluent were studied. Simultaneously the effects of BP, of all PAH in the total and of carcinogenic PAH in concentrations corresponding to the discharge composition were studied. It is shown that BP may be used as an indicator of PAH composition and mutagenic effect.

[Direct-action mutagens in exhausts of vehicles with diesel engines]. / Mutageny priamogo deistviia v vybrosakh transportnykh dvigatelei, rabotaiushchikh na dizel'nom toplive.

The genotoxic activity of exhausts from one-shaft gas-turbine GTE-5 engine (30 kW) and a standard D-54A diesel (40 kW) have been studied. Thus, the extracts of soot from GTE-5 and D-54A induced reversions in Salmonella typhimurium both with and without metabolic activation: furthermore, extracts of soot from GTE-5 demonstrated a higher mutagenic activity. The direct mutagenic effect of the exhausts depended neither on the presence of BP nor on the other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Most probably, it was connected with the presence of nitro-PAHs. The need for studying the PAH content in vehicle engines' exhausts and for taking into account their effect in the control and standardization is established.

[The mutagenic activity of coal tar]. / Mutagennaia aktivnost' kamennougol'noi smoly.

Genotoxicity of tar samples collected at the Kemerovo and Altai by-product coke plants has been studied, the contribution of benz(a)pyrene (BP) into the total mutagenic activity of extracts being estimated. Both direct and indirect mutagenicity of the samples is determined in the Ames test. A direct mutagenic effect of coal tar may be attributed neither to the BP action nor to other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The onset of the His revertant induction in Salmonella typhimurium strains Ta 100 and TA 97 treated with the coal tar activated by the S-9 mixture is observed in doses containing BP an order lower than threshold of its activity found in sole experiment. The highest mutagenic effect of the activated coal tar is observed at a dose containing the minimal active sole dose of BP (0.72-1.12 micrograms per plate).

[Effect of purified sewage on the composition of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soil and vegetation]. / Vliianie ochishchennykh stochnykh vod na sostav kantserogennykh politsiklicheskikh aromaticheskikh uglevodorodov v pochve i rastitel'nosti.

Concentrations of benz(a)pyrene (BP) and 15 other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in soil with forage plants (lucerne) irrigated by biologically purified mixed domestic and industrial (coke-chemical) sewage from collection pond did not exceed those in control soil (irrigated by relatively clean fresh water) and were lower than in nonirrigated one, which is due, probably, to PAH oxidation by soil-proper microflora activated in humid soil polluted by PAH. BP content in control and experimental samples of lucerne coincide within +/- 25% limits.

[The effect of hydroxymethyl derivatives of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene on its metabolism and toxic action in tissue culture]. / Vliianie oksimetil'nykh proizvodnykh 7,12-dimetilbenz(a)antratsena i ego metabolizm i toksicheskoe deistvie v kul'ture tkani

The naturally occurring hydroxymethyl derivatives of the carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene was found to inhibit the metabolic hydroxylation and toxic effect of this carcinogen in mouse embryo fibroblast-like cell culture. The greatest reduction of both effects was obtained when 12-hydroxymethyl-7-methylbenz(a)anthracene was added to the growth medium, less effective were, resp., 7,12-dihydroxymethylbenz(a)-anthracene and 7-hydroxymethyl-12-methylbenz(a)anthracene. The data obtained are discussed in terms of the intracellular regulation of carcinogenic hydrocarbon metabolism.

[Urban air pollution by carcinogenic N-nitrosamines]. / Problema zagriazneniia vozdushnoi sredy goroda kantserogennymi N-nitrozaminami.

Moscow is used as an example to discuss the problem of urban atmospheric pollution by carcinogenic N-nitrosamines. An analytical method is proposed, which is based on the use of a Russian gas chromatograph compatible with a chemiluminescence detector, that is a TEA thermal energy analyzer (USA) having some modifications to reduce the time of analysis and loss during sample pretreatment. The minimal detected concentration is 3 ng/m3 for 2-hour sampling. The method identifies and quantifies 7 volatile N-nitrosamines: N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosodibutylamine, N-nitrosodipropylamine, N-nitrosopiperidine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosomorpholine. The pollution of the Moscow air was evaluated in the center of Moscow (30-60 ng/m3 for NDMA), in the industrial emission area (as high as several hundred ng/m3, and in the heavy traffic area (100 ng/m3 or more). It is proposed to study the working area for rubber and tire industries, to establish nitrosamine tolerances for these industries and maximum allowable discharge concentrations in the urban air and to monitor these parameters.

[Determination of benzopyrene in the seeds of plants before and after their germination]. / Opredelenie benz(a)pirena v semenakh rastenii do i posle prorastaniia

The possibility of BP synthesis in plants was studied. Seeds of pea, lupine, rye, oats, garden-cress were investigated in hydroponic systems with substrates containing carbon and without it. The results indicated that the quantity of BP in the seeds increased in the course of germination in solutions with carbon from 1 to 7 mug/Kg of dry weight. No increase of BP was observed after germination in media without carbon.

[Comparative studies of the contamination of vegetable food products by carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the USSR and East Germany]. / Sravnitel'nye issledovaniia zagriazneniia rastitel'nykh pishchevykh produktov kantserogennymi politsiklicheskimi aromaticheskimi uglevodorodami (PAU) v SSSR i GDR.

The content of benz(a)pyrene (BP) in the soil of the agricultural regions of the USSR, away from the intense sources of industrial wastes ranges within 1-10 microgram/kg and depends on the soil type. In the vicinity of the industrial enterprises, the BP content in the soil may be tens thousand times higher. The baseline natural content of BP in the green parts of the vegetables constitutes 1-5 microgram/kg, while in the grain, seeds and fruit it is 10-100 times lower. In the vicinity of the sources of industrial wastes, the BP content in the green parts of the vegetables, in the grain, seeds and fruit was found to be drastically increased. There is a correlation between the BP content in the potato tubers and the soil where the potato is grown.