Mitotic toxicity, sister chromatid exchange, and rec assay of pesticides.

Genotoxicity of 10 pesticides (chlornitrofen, chlomethoxyfen, molinate, thiobencarb, simazine, simetryn, diazinon, iprofenfos, piperofos and oxadiazone) was studied by mitotic toxicity, sister chromatid exchange, and rec assay. The pesticides are detected frequently at high levels in the Yodo River water in Osaka, Japan, which is used for drinking water by thirteen million people. Mitotic toxicity was evaluated by mitotic index (MI) and second mitosis index (SI), using a Chinese hamster cell line V79. SI is the rate of twice divided metaphases in chromosome preparation for sister chromatid exchange. All the pesticides decreased the two indices dose-dependently. MI50 and SI50, the concentrations of pesticides which lowered the indices to 50% of the solvent control, was determined. The MI50 and SI50 of each pesticide were very similar, and the pesticides did not hinder cell division specifically. None of the pesticides induced more sister chromatid exchanges than 1.5 times the solvent control. Chlomethoxyfen and simazine induced sister chromatid exchanges significantly in V79 cells, but the dose dependencies were poor. Simetryn had rec effect and was concluded to have DNA damaging activity.