Chemical mutagenesis testing in Drosophila. III. Results of 48 coded compounds tested for the National Toxicology Program.

Forty-eight chemicals were tested for mutagenicity in Drosophila melanogaster. Each compound was tested first for the induction of sex-linked recessive lethals (SLRLs) by feeding the chemical in a solution of 5% aqueous sucrose. If it was not mutagenic by this route, the chemical was tested by injection in a solution of 0.7% aqueous NaCl. If found inactive, the compound was not tested further. If it was mutagenic, the compound was tested for the induction of reciprocal translocations (RTs) using the exposure protocol and germ cell stage that yielded positive results in the SLRL assay. Eight chemicals (diglycidylresorcinol ether, AF-2, alloxan monohydrate, 1-aziridine ethanol, p,p'-DDE, dichloroacetonitrile, 1,3-dichloropropene, and 3,3'-dimethylbenzidine dihydrochloride) were found to induce SLRLs. Only diglycidylresorcinol ether also induced RTs.