"Atmospheric" Epoxidation of Benzo[a]pyrene by Ozone: Formation of the Metabolite Benzo[a]pyrene-4,5-Oxide
JAMES N. PITTS JR. 1,
DAVID M. LOKENSGARD 1,
PAUL S. RIPLEY 1,
KAREL A. VAN CAUWENBERGHE 1,
LUK VAN VAECK 1,
STEVEN D. SHAFFER 2,
ALAN J. THILL 2, and
WILLIAM L. BELSER JR. 2
1 Department of Chemistry and Statewide Air Pollution Research Center, University of California, Riverside 92521
2 Department of Biology and Statewide Air Pollution Research Center, University of California, Riverside
Benzo[a]pyrene deposited on a glass fiber filter reacts rapidly in the dark or light with ambient levels of ozone to yield a mixture of products that display strong direct mutagenicity in the Ames assay. The major stable contributor to this activity has been identified as benzo[a]pyrene-4,5-oxide, a DNA-binding metabolite in biological systems, known to be a strong direct mutagen with Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98.
Submitted on July 28, 1980
Revised on September 9, 1980
