Abstract

QUIJANO-PARRA, Alfonso; QUIJANO-VARGAS, Mónica Juliana  and  MELENDEZ-GELVEZ, Iván. Genotoxicity of priority pollutants in the air of Villa del Rosario - Norte de Santander, Colombia. Univ. Salud [online]. 2015, vol.17, n.1, pp.69-79. ISSN 0124-7107.

Introduction: The suspended particles PM_2.5 are able to penetrate deep into the lung and consist of complex chemical mixtures, including mutagens and carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The inhalation of high concentrations of particulate matter (PM_2.5) causes respiratory, heart and lung diseases. Objective: To identify priority pollutants and study the genotoxic activity of breathable particulate matter PM_2.5 air by the comet assay in the municipality of Villa del Rosario-Norte de Santander. Method: The air samples (PM_2.5) of Villa del Rosario were collected with 2025 Partisol plus sampler by using filters pallflex through sampling for 24 hours with a frequency of three days. The organic matter of the PM_2.5 filters was extracted by ultrasound with dichloromethane to obtain the overall extract. This was separated into three fractions by gel column chromatography (GPC) of silica using n-hexane, n-hexane-dichloromethane and dichloromethane as the corresponding eluents. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of each fraction were determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (FID). Results: For the first time genotoxic activity assessed by the comet assay is reported, associated with the PM_2.5 air in the municipality of Villa del Rosario and the priority pollutants extracted with dichloromethane were identified, which were present in the organic matter in a vehicular route in Villa del Rosario, Norte de Santander. Conclusion: The priority pollutants found in the air of Villa del Rosario are: Benzo (a) pyrene, Naphthalene, Benzo (a) anthracene, chrysene Benzo (b) fluoranthene, benzo (k) fluoranthene and dibenzo (a, h) anthracene, which are highly hazardous pollutants to present mutagenic and genotoxic activity.

Keywords : Genotoxicity; PM_2.5; gas chromatography; air pollutants; comet assay.

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