Exposure of organic extracts of air particulates to sunlight leads to metabolic activation independence for mutagenicity

Abstract Air particulates were collected on Whatman, GFA glass fibre filters using a RADECO constant-flow air sampler from a car-parking basement and an open roadside adjacent to the basement. While the basement was not exposed to sunlight, the roadside from where air samples were collected was exposed to regular daylight in the month of July (peak summer month). The filters were soaked and sonicated in acetone to dislodge the particulates and then a residue was obtained after evaporation of acetone. The residues were either held in dark or exposed to natural sunlight or germicidal UV light before being tested for mutagenicity using the Salmonella tester strain TA98 with and without metabolic activation (S9 mix). The results showed that the addition of S9 mix resulted in only a slight increase in the frequency of histidine revertants/plate in the case of daylight-exposed roadside air samples. On the other hand, a considerable increase in mutagenicity was observed in the case of the basement air samples, particularly at higher concentrations of the organic extracts when S9 mix was added. However, a pre-exposure of the organic extract of air from the basement to sunlight abrogated the need for S9 mix for showing mutagenic activity. A pre-exposure of the same extracts to germicidal UV light failed to produce a similar effect. These results suggested that long wavelengths of natural sunlight could be responsible for the conversion of certain promutagens in air particulates into direct-acting mutagens. The environmental impact of solar radiation as a modifier of air particulate mutagens in high-sun countries like Saudi Arabia needs to be carefully considered for assessment of air pollution-related health risks.