Mutagenicity and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons analysis of ambient airborne particles collected in Athens, Greece.

Samples of airborne particulates from the Athens atmosphere were examined for mutagenicity and various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Extracts induced linear, dose-related increases in TA98 His+ revertants in the Ames/Salmonella assay and contained average benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) levels of 3.9 ng/m3 of air. The levels of revertants/m3 of the samples showed a linear relation to their BaP and benzo[b]-(BbF) + benzo[k]-fluoranthene (BkF) concentrations and were higher in areas with dense traffic than in industrial areas. It is suggested that the atmosphere of Athens favours the formation of secondary direct-acting mutagens due to the oxidation and nitration of PAH by ozone and nitrogen oxides, which are more abundant in the late spring months.