Abstract
Gaseous α-chlorinated ether, as an oxidized, chlorinated organic compound, is suspected of being harmful to human health and the environment. Mutagenicities of five gaseous α-chlorinated ethers were measured by a gas-exposure method using five strains belonging to Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium, which were exposed to the ethers in a gasexposure apparatus. Consequently, E. coli WP2uvrA/pKM101 was found to have the highest sensitivity to mutagenicities of the ethers with S9mix condition. These mutagenicities were slightly detected by E. coli WP2uvrA, but they were hardly detected by S. typhimurium TA98, TA100, and TA1535. These mutagenicities were stronger in the order of bis (chloromethyl) ether (BCME) > chloromethyl methyl ether (CMME) > chloromethyl ethyl ether (CMEE) > 1, 2-dichloromethyl ether > α, α-dichloromethyl methyl ether (DCMME), irrespective of S 9 mix existence. The number of revertant colonies (revertants) in BCME reduced with an increase of its concentration after reaching a peak. At higher concentration, revertants in CMME resulted in the highest level among those in respective ethers. With still higher concentration, the level of revertants in CMME was also reduced. At that concentration, revertants in DCMME and revertants in CMEE had the highest levels without S9mix condition and with S9mix condition, respectively.
