The results of microbial mutation test for forty-three industrial chemicals.

The mutagenicity of 43 industrial chemicals in Salmonella typhimurium (TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537, and TA1538) and Escherichia coli (WP2uvrA) was examined. The output of these chemicals in Japan is more than a million kilograms per year. The mutation test was carried out under the condition of absence and presence of rat microsomal activation. Two chemicals, hexamethylenetetramine and 4,4'-methylenediphenyldiisocyanate, showed mutagenic activity in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100 by metabolic activation. Hexamethylenetetramine also showed mutagenic activity in TA98 without microsomal activation. No mutagenic activity was observed in the 41 chemicals including 4 volatile and gaseous compounds.