Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are genotoxic chemicals commonly found in effluents from oil refineries. Bioassays using plants and cells cultures can be employed for assessing environmental safety and potential genotoxicity. In this study, the genotoxic potential of an oil refinery effluent was analyzed by means of micronucleus (MN) testing of Alium cepa, which revealed no effect after 24 h of treatment. On the other hand, primary lesions in the DNA of rat (Rattus norvegicus) hepatoma cells (HTC) were observed through comet assaying after only 2 h of exposure. On considering the capacity to detect DNA damage of a different nature and of these cells to metabolize xenobiotics, we suggest the association of the two bioassays with these cell types, plant (Allium cepa) and mammal (HTC) cells, for more accurately assessing genotoxicity in environmental samples.

Functional food investigations have demonstrated the presence of substances that could be beneficial to human health when consumed. However, the toxic effects of some substances contained in foods have been determined. Reported medicinal and nutritive properties have led to the extensive commercialization of the basidiomycete fungi Agaricus blazei Murrill (sensu Heinemann), also known as Agaricus brasiliensis Wasser et al., Agaricus subrufescens Peck or the Brazilian medical mushroom (BMM). Different methanolic extract fractions (ME) of this mushroom were submitted to the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) clastogenic assay and the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase locus (HGPRT) assay for gene mutation, both using Chinese hamster ovary cells clone K1 (CHO-K1). The results suggest that all the fractions tested possess cytotoxic and mutagenic potential but no clastogenic effects. Further information is needed on the biochemical components of the A. blazei methanol fractions to identify any substances with cytotoxic and/or mutagenicity potential. These findings indicate that A. blazei methanolic extract should not be used due to their genotoxicity and care should be taken in the use of A. blazei by the general population until further biochemical characterization of this fungi is completed.

The comet assay was used to study the sensitivity of the widely distributed freshwater bivalve mollusk Corbicula fluminea to the DNA-damaging alkylating-agent methylmethane sulfonate (MMS). This study was undertaken to ascertain if C. fluminea is a good bioindicator of pollutants in aquatic environments and identify which C. fluminea tissue is most effective and practical for genotoxicity studies. The mollusks were exposed to 0.6, 1.2 or 2.4 X 10-4 M MMS for 40 min and their hemolymph, gill tissue and digestive gland tissue assessed for the level of DNA damage and the time needed for the tissues to recovery. Regression analysis showed a direct linear dose-response relationship between MMS concentration and the number of damaged cells for hemolymph and digestive gland tissue but a quadratic relationship for gill tissue, which made the interpretation the gill tissue results difficult. The basal level of DNA damage to gill tissue was very high, possibly because gill is the organs most directly exposed to environmental toxins and mutagenic agents. Although all three types of tissue produced useful results, hemolymph and digestive gland tissue produced more reproducible and reliable results. Hemolymph was the best sample type in that it was easy to obtain and handle, while gill tissue required more manipulation to obtain cell suspensions. Our results indicate that C. fluminea is an optimal bioindicator for the determination genotoxic contaminants in aquatic environments.

Agaricus blazei Murrill, popularly known as the sun mushroom, is a native mushroom in SP, Brazil, that has been widely used in the treatment of cancer and many other pathologies in different parts of the world. A water-soluble protein-polysaccharide complex (1 -> 6)beta-D-glucan has been isolated from its fruiting body that showed immune-modulation activity. From organic extracts, linoleic acid has been isolated and determined to be the main substance with antimutagenic activity. Using both the micronucleus (MN) and comet (single cell microgel electrophoresis) assays, this study determined the genotoxic and antigenotoxic potential of A. blazei (AB) obtained from commercial sources or the following strains: a) strains AB 97/29 (young and sporulated phases); b) a mixture taken from AB 96/07, AB 96/09 and AB 97/11 strains; and c) commercial mushrooms from Londrina, PR and Piedade, SP, designated as AB PR and AB SP, respectively. The extracts from these mushrooms were isolated in chloroform:methanol (3:1) and used in vitro at three different concentrations. V79 cells (Chinese hamster lung cells) were exposed to the extracts under pre-, simultaneous and post-treatment conditions, combined with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). Under the circumstances of this study, these organic extracts did not show any genotoxic or mutagenic effects, but did protect cells against the induction of micronuclei by MMS.

O objetivo do trabalho é analisar dados sobre a real disponibilidade dos recursos hídricos e o reflexo de sua degradação na saúde humana. Visa a acompanhar o crescimento da degradação ambiental nos últimos anos e o fornecimento de dados recentes e confiáveis sobre o tema. Foram abordados os seguintes aspectos: (a) atividades antrópicas e degradação ambiental; (b) estatísticas da disponibilidade e demanda dos recursos hídricos; (c) despejos urbanos e industriais como fontes de contaminação dos recursos hídricos; (d) efeitos deletérios da água contaminada sobre o organismo humano. São alarmantes os valores estatísticos relacionados aos efeitos da água contaminada sobre a saúde humana e ao aumento na demanda dos recursos hídricos. É de importância fundamental a tomada de uma consciência ambientalista por parte das gerações atuais a fim de se evitar o estresse máximo do sistema hídrico, cuja efetivação está prevista para um futuro muito próximo.

The objective of the study is to analyse the actual availability of water resources and its impact on human health deterioration. The following aspects were studied: (a) human activities and environmental deterioration; (b) statistics on the availability and demand of water resources; (c) urban and industry wastes as sources of water resources contamination; and (d) deleterious effect of contaminated water on human health. Statistical data on the impact of contaminated water on human health and the increasing demand of water resources are alarming. It is paramount that modern generations develop an environmental awareness to avoid overstressing water systems, as predicted to come about in the very near future.

O objetivo do trabalho é analisar dados sobre a real disponibilidade dos recursos hídricos e o reflexo de sua degradação na saúde humana. Visa a acompanhar o crescimento da degradação ambiental nos últimos anos e o fornecimento de dados recentes e confiáveis sobre o tema. Foram abordados os seguintes aspectos: (a) atividades antrópicas e degradação ambiental; (b) estatísticas da disponibilidade e demanda dos recursos hídricos; (c) despejos urbanos e industriais como fontes de contaminação dos recursos hídricos; (d) efeitos deletérios da água contaminada sobre o organismo humano. São alarmantes os valores estatísticos relacionados aos efeitos da água contaminada sobre a saúde humana e ao aumento na demanda dos recursos hídricos. É de importância fundamental a tomada de uma consciência ambientalista por parte das gerações atuais a fim de se evitar o estresse máximo do sistema hídrico, cuja efetivação está prevista para um futuro muito próximo.

The objective of the study is to analyse the actual availability of water resources and its impact on human health deterioration. The following aspects were studied: (a) human activities and environmental deterioration; (b) statistics on the availability and demand of water resources; (c) urban and industry wastes as sources of water resources contamination; and (d) deleterious effect of contaminated water on human health. Statistical data on the impact of contaminated water on human health and the increasing demand of water resources are alarming. It is paramount that modern generations develop an environmental awareness to avoid overstressing water systems, as predicted to come about in the very near future.