Effects of Air-borne Extracts on CYP1A1 Inducing Potential

Airborne particles may constitute a health risk to man. For example, diesel emissions have been shown to contribute to the incidence of lung cancer and have been classified as probably carcinogenic to humans (IARC monograph, 1988). Short-term tests for genotoxicity has shown not only diesel exhaust, but also particles from different outdoor and indoor sources be genotoxic. These particles include those derived from industrial sources, smoking, open fires and other heating processes and more specific sources like rubber and waste incineration (Heussen et al., 1991). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are released into the atmosphere may have health consequences that can be compounded by their nitro-PAH atmospheric transformation products. The available literature suggests that some of the atmospheric nitro-PAH daughter products, CYP1A1 Inducing Potential of Airborne Particulate Extracts Collected during a 25-year Period (1975-2000)