Robert Mermelstein

TL;DR: The nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons constitute a group of chemicals of environmental concern which display a broad spectrum of mutagenic, genotoxic and carcinogenic properties and are the most potent direct-acting bacterial mutagens.

TL;DR: Nitropyrenes are potent frameshift mutagens, and possible mechanisms for their biological action are discussed.

TL;DR: The mutagenicity of nitropyrenes is enhanced when resting rather than growing bacterial cultures are used, and the penultimate intermediates responsible for mutagenic activity are not obtained in all instances by reduction of the nitro function.

TL;DR: A derivative of Salmonella typhimurium TA98 which does not respond to the potent mutagenicity of 1,8-dinitropyrene is described and appears to be deficient in a nitroreductase which reduces nitrated pyrenes and possibly other nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to corresponding hydroxylamines, the penultimate mutagens.

TL;DR: The lung alterations in the toner high-exposure group are interpreted in terms of “lung overloading,” a generic response of the respiratory system to saturation of its detoxification capacity.