SCREENING OF PESTICIDES FOR MUTAGENIC POTENTIAL USING SALMONELLA-TYPHIMURIUM MUTANTS

The mutagenic activity of several pesticides and related analogs was examined with a set of 4 strains of S. typhimurium (Ames assay, TA1535 series; deep rough strains without excision repair). Nitrosocarbaryl, a derivative of the insecticide carbaryl, was a potent base-pair substitution mutagen showing activity at 0.5 .mu.g/plate, and demonstrating a relatively mild frameshift activity. Captan at 25 .mu.g/plate showed both frameshift and base-pair substitution mutagenesis. The mutagenic properties of these 2 compounds decreased when exposed to rat liver homogenate. DDT, DDE, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, carbaryl, linuron and diazinon were not mutagenic in this system.