[Determination of the mutagenic potential of an environmental pollutant, mercuric chloride].

The effect of mercury chloride on the culture of rat fibroblast cells was studied for the test of DNA-breaks formation, for the survival and mutability of pox-virus vaccine and for the formation of dominant mutations in rats. The preparation had generally toxic, embryotoxic and mutagenic effects. To determine the genetic effects of environmental pollutants it was necessary to use some special methodological approaches.