AN INVESTIGATION ON THE ORIGIN OF MUTAGENS IN WATER SAMPLES COLLECTED FROM DIFFERENT SITES ALONG A LOWLAND RIVER
Report No DWI0309

April 1987

SUMMARY

A series of experiments have been carried out to examine the effect of sewage effluent on the mutagenicity of water samples. Raw water samples were collected from a lowland river at three sites containing different levels of sewage effluent. Concentrated extracts of the samples were prepared by XAD adsorption both before and after laboratory chlorination. These extracts were tested for mutagenic activity in bacterial fluctuation assays using Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100 and TA98 in the presence and absence of rat liver S9 fraction. Analytical determinations were also carried out on the water samples.

The raw water samples from all three sites showed evidence of weak mutagenicity in strain TA98 but no activity in TA100. After chlorination all three samples showed clear mutagenic activity in both strains. In this study there was no obvious effect of sewage effluent on the level of mutagenic activity observed either before or after chlorination.

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