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Science 14 May 2004:
Vol. 304. no. 5673, pp. 1008 - 1010
DOI: 10.1126/science.1095815
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Reports

Reduction of Particulate Air Pollution Lowers the Risk of Heritable Mutations in Mice

Christopher M. Somers,1 Brian E. McCarry,2 Farideh Malek,3 James S. Quinn1*

Urban and industrial air pollution can cause elevated heritable mutation rates in birds and rodents. The relative importance of airborne particulate matter versus gas-phase substances in causing these genetic effects under ambient conditions has been unclear. Here we show that high-efficiency particulate-air (HEPA) filtration of ambient air significantly reduced heritable mutation rates at repetitive DNA loci in laboratory mice housed outdoors near a major highway and two integrated steel mills. These findings implicate exposure to airborne particulate matter as a principal factor contributing to elevated mutation rates in sentinel mice and add to accumulating evidence that air pollution may pose genetic risks to humans and wildlife.

1 Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada.
2 Department of Chemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada.
3 Lakeland College, School of Environmental Sciences, 5707-47 Avenue West, Vermilion, Alberta T9X 1K5, Canada.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: quinn{at}mcmaster.ca

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)