Breakthrough of ultraviolet light from various brands of fluorescent lamps: lethal effects on DNA repair-defective bacteria.

In a comparative study of 17 pairs of 15 W fluorescent lamps intended for use in homes and purchased in local stores, we detect over 10-fold differences in UVB + UVC emissions between various lamps. This breakthrough of ultraviolet (UV) light is in part correlated with ability of lamps to kill DNA repair-defective recA-uvrB- Salmonella. Relative proficiency of lamps in eliciting photoreactivation of UV-induced DNA lesions also plays a prominent role in the relative rates of bacterial inactivation by emissions from different lamps. Lamps made in Chile, such as Philips brand lamps and one type of General Electric lamp, produce far less UVB + UVC and fail to kill recA-uvrB- bacteria. In contrast, all tested lamps manufactured in the USA, Hungary, and Japan exhibit readily observed deleterious biological effects. When an E. coli recA-uvrB-phr- (photolyase-negative) triple mutant is used for assay, lethal radiations are detected from all lamps, and single-hit exponential inactivation rates rather closely correlate to amount of directly measured UVB + UVC output of each pair of lamps. Although all lamps tested may meet international and United States standards for radiation safety, optimal practices in lamp manufacture are clearly capable of decreasing human exposure to indoor UV light.

Reversion profiles of coolwhite fluorescent light compared with far ultraviolet light: homologies and differences.

General Electric and Sylvania 15 W coolwhite fluorescent lamps emit roughly 6% of their total irradiance as light in the UV spectrum. Illumination of sensitive Salmonella tester strains results in both lethal and mutagenic activities. In contrast, comparable Philips lamps emit lower levels of UV light, especially UVB, and exhibit no detectable lethal or mutagenic effects. The spectra of mutations induced by General Electric coolwhite lamps in histidine-requiring base substitution mutants hisG46 and hisG428 ("reversion profiles") resemble mutagenesis by far UV light (UVC) and differ quite markedly from the spectra of mutations that occur spontaneously. Coolwhite and UVC reversion profiles are not identical, however. The percentage of C to A transversion mutations induced in hisG46 are elevated over those found after UVC treatment, and a strong bias for one particular class of tandem base substitutions (TAA-->TGT) prevails after treatment of hisG428 with coolwhite light, a bias not observed with UVC. Increased attention needs to be given to minimization of exposure to UV light from fluorescent lamps commonly used in homes and workplaces.

Microsomal chemiluminescence of benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol and its synthetic analogues trans- and cis-1-methoxyvinylpyrene.

The cis- and trans-methoxyvinylpyrene (MVP) analogues of benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol (7,8-diol) produce specific microsomal chemiluminescence comparable to that produced from 7,8-diol in Aroclor-induced rat liver microsome preparations. The chemiluminescence quantum yields, emission spectra, and the concentration and the temporal kinetics of these three substrates have been examined. Radiolabelled 7,8-diol and t-MVP exhibit significant covalent binding (more than 14%) to microsomal protein when metabolized enzymatically. The extreme quenching of the dioxetane chemiluminescence by both microsomes and phosphatidylcholine, as a model phospholipid, implies that despite the low quantum yield (approx. 10(-8) photons per substrate molecule) for microsomal chemiluminescence of these substrates, a significant fraction of their microsomal oxygenations may proceed via a dioxetane pathway.

Induced chemiluminescence of oxidized fatty acids and oils.

The injection of a strong organic base into milligram quantities of fats and oils dissolved in methylene chloride results in a burst of chemiluminescence whose peak intensity is a function of the previous thermal oxidation history and of the degree of unsaturation of the starting material. The flash of this induced chemiluminescence can be 10(8) times higher than the steady-state "spontaneous" chemiluminescence. The kinetics of the induced chemiluminescence are first order in concentration and second order in time. The emission spectrum is broad and extends into the near infrared. A model based on dioxetane chemiluminescence is proposed to explain the observed kinetics.

Catastrophic anoxia in the chesapeake bay in 1984.

In 1984, four climatic sequences combined to produce what may be a major anoxic catastrophe in the northern Chesapeake Bay, sufficient to severely threaten the major benthic species. These sequences are (i) the highest late-winter streamflow on record from the Susquehanna River watershed; (ii) streamflows from the Susquehanna River for the consecutive months of June, July, and August that are higher by 2 standard deviations than the respective monthly mean values measured over the last 34 years; (iii) a stationary high in August off the Atlantic Coast; and (iv) an absence of strong storm events in summer. An empirical equation is proposed for the prediction of the monthly trend of dissolved oxygen decrease in terms of a temperature-dependent subpycnoclinal respiration and a modified estuarine Richardson number. As of 23 August 1984, the summer pycnocline of the northern bay had eroded upward from its historically recorded depth below 10 meters to an abnormally shallow 5 meters, with higher stratification than in earlier years. Dissolved oxygen concentrations directly below the pycnocline decreased to zero during June, 2 months earlier than for previous wet years. At present, oxygen-deficient waters containing significant concentrations of hydrogen sulfide have penetrated into Eastern Bay and the Choptank and Potomac rivers. Because most remaining shellfish-spawning and seed-bed areas in these tributaries are located at depths between 4 and 8 meters, the continued absence of major destratifying events will prolong the present anoxic trend and may result in high benthic mortalities.

Ecology of colors of firefly bioluminescence.

Dark-active North American fireflies emit green bioluminescence and dusk-active species emit yellow, in general. Yellow light and yellow visual spectral sensitivity may be adaptations to increase the signal-to-noise (that is, foliage-reflected ambient light) ratio for sexual signaling during twilight. The peaks of the electroretinogram visual spectral sensitivities of four species tested, two dark- and two dusk-active, correspond with the peak of their bioluminescent emissions.

Long-lived chemiluminescence in cigarette smoke.

Cigarette smooke contains high concentrations of unstable moleculles that react with oxygen to produce chemiluminescence. The chemiluminescent activity is concentrated in the aerosol phase that can be absorbed on glass-fiber filters and extracted into organic solvents. Cigarette smnoke in N, N-dimethylformamide produces a long-lasting luminescence visible to the dark-adapted eye. We have demonstrated the oxygen dependence and have measured the kinetics, activation energies, emission spectra, and absolute photon intensities of this chemiluminescence. The total light emission from a single puff (35 cubic centimeters) of cigarette smoke is greater than 10(12) photons. There was a significant correlation between smoke chemiluminescence anSd tar content. It is suggested that the chemical production of electronically excited states of aromatic hydrocarbons is equivalent to photoexcitation in the promotion of the carcinogenicity of these agents.

Stimulable and spontaneous bioluminescence in the marine dinoflagellates, Pyrodinium bahamense, Gonyaulax polyedra, and Pyrocystis lunula.

P. bahamense, G. polyedra, and P. lunula exhibit interspecies differences in stimulable and spontaneous bioluminescence. For each species the total number of photons that can be emitted upon mechanical stimulation is a constant, regardless of the time during scotophase at which stimulation occurs. Ratios of stimulable bioluminescence per organism during scotophase and photophase are as high as 950:1 for laboratory cultures and have been observed as high as 4000: 1 for natural populations of P. bahamense. Spontaneous emission in darkness shows flashing as well as low-level continuous emission. Natural populations of P. bahamense, placed in darkness during natural photophase, exhibit a dual character to their stimulable bioluminescence. Mechanical stimulation techniques are described for rapid and reproducible stimulation of bioluminescence.

The spectral distribution of firefly light. II.

The in vivo peak emission wavelengths of bioluminescence are reported for 15 species of American fireflies. A spectrophotometric study of the dorsal light organs of 155 specimens of the Jamaican firefly Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus showed three distinct color distributions with peak emission wavelengths at 550.1 +/- 1.5 mmicro, 556.8 +/- 1.4 mmicro, and 562.4 +/- 1.0 mmicro. Similar spectral measurements of 35 ventral light organs of the same insects gave peak emission wavelengths ranging from 547 through 594 mmicro. This is a wider distribution than the total range of all 34 species of firefly studied to date. There was no obvious correlation between the colors of the ventral and dorsal light organs. It appears that P. plagiophthalamus is a special case in which the luciferase enzyme is not only different among members of the same species, but it may be different for the dorsal and ventral light organs in a single individual. A minimum of six different luciferase molecules for P. plagiophthalamus ventral light organs is proposed. The statistical precision in making these spectrophotometric measurements is discussed.