THIOETHER CONCENTRATION AND MUTAGENICITY OF URINE FROM CIGARETTE SMOKERS

Urinary thioether compounds, such as mercapturic acids, can be considered as nontoxic end products of potentially alkylating agents. On the other hand, urinary mutagenicity may represent the excretion of potential mutagens that have not definitively been detoxified by the organism. It is suggested that a combined urinary thioether and mutagenicity test may be useful in monitoring people occupationally exposed to potentially alkylating compounds, in particular to mixtures of these chemicals. Exposure to cigarette smoke, containing several known mutagens and carcinogens, is expected to interfere with the test results. The excretion of mutagens and thioethers was determined in urine of smokers and nonsmokers. Smokers excrete more mutagens and thioether compounds than nonsmokers. Further, it was found that the urinary mutagenicity and thioether level are significantly related to the amount of cigarettes smoked. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.