Negative Results of \it{umu} Genotoxicity Test of Fluorotelomer Alcohols and Perfluorinated Alkyl Acids

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Recently, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) has been ubiquitously detected in the environment as well as in human serum. Fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), a precursor of PFOA, undergo biodegradation via several metabolic routes which leads to formation of various biodegradation products. The degradation of FTOHs produces an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde that seems possibly to be electrophilic and may react with cellular macromolecules including DNA. Methods: We investigated the genotoxicity of three FTOHs (62 FTOH, 82 FTOH and 102 FTOH), PFOA and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) using the umu test. Results: The FTOHs, PFOA and PFOS showed no significant increases in β-galactosidase activity at 0−1000 μM in the absence of S9 mix. The results were unchanged by the metabolic activation with S9 mix. Conclusion: The genotoxicities of FTOHs, PFOA or PFOS are not detectable using the present method, suggesting that they are unlikely mutagens.