Drinking water contaminants: toxicity of halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Results of the comet assay and FPG-modified comet assay following 24h exposure to Pyr, 1-ClPyr, 1-BrPyr, for concentrations (50 to 200 μM); BaA and 7-ClBaA for concentrations (1 to 20 μM) ; (* p<0.05) Food may be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the process of smoking or heating. These contaminants or their derivatives can also be present in drinking water when raw water contacts with discharges of untreated industrial/ waste water effluents, forest fires or by solubilisation of organic material from contaminated soils. A few studies have shown that water disinfection can lead to halogenated derivatives of PAHs (HPAHs) as chlorinated and brominated derivatives, and there are evidences that these compounds may have greater mutagenicity than the parent PAHs. Introduction