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Science 14 May 2004:
Vol. 304. no. 5673, pp. 971 - 972
DOI: 10.1126/science.1097441
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Perspectives

BIOMEDICINE:
Do Airborne Particles Induce Heritable Mutations?

Jonathan M. Samet, David M. DeMarini, Heinrich V. Malling

Air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and has other adverse health effects. In their Perspective, Samet, DeMarini, and Malling discuss new findings (Somers et al.) showing that particulate air pollution can induce presumptive mutations in the germline cells of male mice that can be passed on to the next generation. The germline mutation rate was reduced by about 50% if the mice were exposed to air cleansed of particulate matter by passage through a HEPA filter.

J. M. Samet is in the Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. D. M. DeMarini is at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA. H. V. Malling is at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. E-mail: jsamet{at}jhsph.edu

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