Mutagenic Activity of Airborne Particles Inside and Outside Homes

Indoor concentrations of total suspended particles often exceed outdoor concentrations. Although it is known that particulate matter may contain mutagenic compounds and that several sources in the home produce mutagens, virtually no data concerning the mutagenicity of indoor particulate matter are available. In this study, experiments were carried out to determine the contribution of indoor and outdoor sources to the mutagenicity of indoor particles. Using six samplers, particles in kitchens, living rooms, and outdoors were collected simultaneously. Methanol extracts of the material obtained were tested in the Salmonella/microsome assay. An increase in mutagenic activity was shown in the presence of a metabolizing system in all indoor and outdoor samples but one. The data presented suggest that mutagenic components of indoor particulate matter are different from those found in outdoor particles. Indoor samples show a higher mutagenic activity after metabolic activation, while direct mutagenic activity of indoor particles was lower than that of outdoor particles. Furthermore, only indoor samples showed cytotoxic effects. Our findings suggest that, with respect to the mutagenic activity of particulate matter, cigarette smoke is the most important contaminant of indoor air. Kitchen samples also show mutagenic activity, probably as a result of volatilization of cooking products. No contribution of outdoor sources to mutagenicity of indoor particles was observed.