Suchergebnisse

The use of plants for air contamination biomonitoring has been increased due to the low costs and the easy application and handling. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the genotoxic potential of inhalable particulate matter in the atmosphere of Limeira city (SP, Brazil) by assessing micronucleus (Trad-MCN) in Tradescantia pallida. Samples were collected from august 30th to October 8th, 2007 using large volume samplers (HI-VOL-PM10). The results indicated that particulate matter levels are within the tolerable limits defined by the legislation. However, they were higher than the annual average values. A genotoxic potential of the particulate matter was seen in some cases where micronucleus frequency more than double in relation to the control. As conclusion, Limeira air contaminants are potentially genotoxic, and the combination of micronucleuos assay and T. pallida showed a good sensibility, and can be used in further studies as a tool of air quality monitoring. Keywords: genotoxicity, Tradescantia pallida, particulate matter (PM10), atmosphere pollution.