Evaluation of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate and its major metabolites in the Ames test and L5178Y mouse lymphoma mutagenicity assay.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and its two major metabolites, mono-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (MEHP) and 2-ethylhexanol (EH), were tested for genetic activity in both the Salmonella/mammalian microsome mutagenicity (Ames) assay and the L5178Y TK+/- mouse lymphoma cell mutagenicity assay. All chemicals were tested in both the presence and absence of Aroclor-induced liver microsomes prepared from male Sprague-Dawley rats. Dose levels for both assays were selected from preliminary toxicity studies for each chemical. Neither DEHP, MEHP, nor EH exhibited any significant mutagenic activity in strains TA-98, TA-100, TA-1535, TA-1537, and TA-1538 in the Ames test or when tested in the L5178Y TK+/- mouse lymphoma cell mutagenicity assay.