A season-dependent variation of genotoxicity of surface water samples from Taihu Lake, Yangzte delta.

The present study is to assess a year round change of genotoxicity of surface water in Taihu Lake, Yangtze delta. The water samples were collected in spring, summer, autumn and winter of 2001, respectively. The bacterial L-arabinose resistance forward mutation test (ara test), along with the Ames test, was performed for the evaluation of time profile of mutagenicity of the surface water samples. The strong genotoxic potentials were detected in the near-shore area, especially in the vicinity to the major city. All the samples collected from the lake center and areas distant from dense human activity showed genotoxicity-free in year round time. Intensified human activity along the lake may play an important role for the genotoxic pollution. By comparison of the samples from year round, the winter samples showed the strongest mutagenic potential of all seasons, which indicates that meteorological and hydrological factors also affect the water quality. The impact of dense human activity, improper management and season change should be put into consideration for designing an effective remediation project in the lake basin area.