ABSTRACT
Many industrial regions of Bulgaria are contaminated with cadmium. Induction of various genetic damages by four concentrations of cadmium chloride was studied in various test systems. None of the tested concentrations induced gene mutations in Salmonella typhimurium. An increase in frequency of gene mutations, mitochondrial mutations, and intragene recombination was detected in Saccharomyces cerevisiae treated with the highest cadmium chloride concentration. A clastogenic effect and a significant decrease in mitotic index (MI) were induced in radicle meristem cells of Pisum sativum L. by the two highest cadmium chloride concentrations. Cadmium chloride was also shown to increase the frequency of sex-linked recessive lethals (SLRLs) and dominant lethals (DLs) in Drosophila germ cells. The results obtained in different test systems allow cadmium chloride to be considered a weak mutagen inducing various genetic damages.
