Chromosome aberrations in mammalian cells exposed to vitamin C and multiple vitamin pills

Abstract Three multiple vitamin tablets with different ascorbic acid contents, three vitamin C pills with a synthetic or natural source of ascorbic acid, seven iron-fortified multiple vitamin tablets, and vitamin C pills plus iron supplement were tested for their capacity to induce chromosome aberrations in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells. All of these commercially available vitamin pills induced chromosome breaks and exchanges. The active dilution range and the extent of chromosome damage induced varied among the pills examined. The observed frequencies of metaphase plates with chromosome aberrations ranged up to 42%.