Evaluation of the cytotoxicity of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol using cultured human, monkey, and dog cells.

The cytotoxicity of musty odor-emitting substances, geosmin (GM) and 2-methylisoborneol, at a concentration of 10 ng/L - 300 mg/L was investigated using cultured mammalian cells. These two compounds exhibited no cytotoxicity in either the colony-formation of human KB cells or WST-1 assays of human-, monkey-, and dog-derived cells. These results suggest that the maximum concentration (700 ng/L) of GM found in the water of Lake Shinji is not toxic.