Mutagenicity and chemical analysis of airborne particulate matter collected in Pisa.

The genotoxic effects of airborne particulate samples collected from two urban areas during various traffic intensity levels were evaluated using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (D7 strain) and Salmonella typhimurium (TA98 and TA100 strains). Standard protocols were used, in compliance with recent legislation. Airborne particulate data reveal that genotoxic effects were more evident in the samples collected in the area with intense moving traffic than in the area with limited traffic. Particulate, benzene, toluene, NO2, CO, and heavy metal determinations in these two areas show that their concentrations are related to the intensity of traffic.