Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of fuel properties, nitrogen oxides, and exhaust treatment by an oxidation catalytic converter on the mutagenicity of diesel engine emissions

  • Genotoxicity and Carcinogenicity
  • Published:
Archives of Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Particle emissions of diesel engines (DEP) content polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) these compounds cause a strong mutagenicity of solvent extracts of DEP. We investigated the influence of fuel properties, nitrogen oxides (NO x ), and an oxidation catalytic converter (OCC) on the mutagenic effects of DEP. The engine was fuelled with common diesel fuel (DF), low-sulphur diesel fuel (LSDF), rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME), and soybean oil methyl ester (SME) and run at five different load modes in two series with and without installation of an OCC in the exhaust pipe. Particles from the cooled and diluted exhaust were sampled onto glass fibre filters and extracted with dichloromethane in a soxhlet apparatus. The mutagenicity of the extracts was tested using the Salmonella typhimurium/mammalian microsome assay with tester strains TA98 and TA100. Without OCC the number of revertant colonies was lower in extracts of LSDF than in extracts of DF. The lowest numbers of revertant colonies were induced by the plant oil derived fuels. In three load modes, operation with the OCC led to a reduction of the mutagenicity. However, direct mutagenic effects under heavy duty conditions (load mode A) were significantly increased for RME (TA98, TA100) and SME (TA98). A consistent but not significant increase in direct mutagenicity was observed for DF and LSDF at load mode A, and for DF at idling (load mode E) when emissions were treated with the OCC. These results raise concern over the use of oxidation catalytic converters with diesel engines. We hypothesise that the OCC increases formation of direct acting mutagens under certain conditions by the reaction of NO x with PAH resulting in the formation of nitrated-PAH. Most of these compounds are powerful direct acting mutagens.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DEP:

Diesel engine particles

DF:

Common diesel fuel

LSDF:

Low sulphur diesel fuel

NO X :

Nitrogen oxides

OCC:

Oxidation catalytic converter

PAH:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

RME:

Rapeseed oil methyl ester

SME:

Soybean oil methyl ester

SOF:

Soluble organic fraction

TPM:

Total particulate matter

References

  • Ames BN, McCann J, Yamasaki E (1975) Methods for detecting carcinogens and mutagens with the Salmonella/mammalian-microsome mutagenicity test. Mutat Res 31:347–363

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson R, Arey J (1994) Atmospheric chemistry of gas-phase PAH: Formation of atmospheric mutagens. Environ Health Perspect 102(Suppl 4):117–126

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bagley ST, Gratz LD, Johnson JH, McDonald JF (1998) Effects of an oxidation catalytic converter and a biodiesel fuel on the chemical, mutagenic, and particle size characteristics of emissions from a diesel engine. Environ Sci Technol 32:1183–1191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bünger J, Krahl J, Franke HU, Munack A, Hallier E (1998) Mutagenic and cytotoxic effects of exhaust particulate matter of biodiesel compared to fossil diesel fuel. Mutat Res 415:13–23

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bünger J, Krahl J, Baum K, Schröder O, Müller M, Westphal G, Ruhnau P, Schulz TG, Hallier E (2000a) Cytotoxic and mutagenic effects, particle size and concentration analysis of diesel engine emissions using biodiesel and petrol diesel as fuel. Arch Toxicol 74:490–498

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bünger J, Müller M, Krahl J, Baum K, Weigel A, Hallier E, Schulz TG (2000b) Mutagenicity of diesel exhaust particles from two fossil and two plant oil fuels. Mutagenesis 15:391–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carraro E, Locatelli AL, Ferrero C, Fea E, Gilli G (1997) Biological activity of particle exhaust emissions from light-duty diesel engines. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 16:101–109

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho-Oliveira R, Pozo RM, Lobo DJ, Lichtenfels AJ, Martins-Junior HA, Bustilho JO, Saiki M, Sato IM, Saldiva PH (2005) Diesel emissions significantly influence composition and mutagenicity of ambient particles: a case study in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Environ Res 98:1–7

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clark CR, Vigil CL (1980) Influence of rat lung and liver homogenates on the mutagenicity of diesel exhaust particulate extracts. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 56:100–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Claxton LD (1983) Characterization of automotive emissions by bacterial mutagenesis bioassay: a review. Environ Mutagen 5:609–631

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crebelli R, Conti L, Crochi B, Carere A, Bertoli C, del Giacomo N (1995) The effect of fuel composition on the mutagenicity of diesel engine exhaust. Mutat Res 346:167–172

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • DeMarini DM, Brooks LR, Warren SH, Kobayashi T, Gilmour MI, Singh P (2004) Bioassay-directed fractionation and Salmonella mutagenicity of automobile and forklift diesel exhaust particles. Environ Health Perspect 112:814–819

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hannigan MP, Busby WF Jr, Cass GR (2005) Source contributions to the mutagenicity of urban particulate air pollution. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 55:399–410

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kraft M, Eikmann T, Kappos A, Künzli N, Rapp R, Schneider K, Seitz H, Voss JU, Wichmann E (2005) The German view: effects of nitrogen dioxide on human health–derivation of health-related short-term and long-term values. Int J Hyg Environ Health 208:305–318

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krahl J, Seidel H, Bünger J (1996) Exhaust gas emissions of rapeseed oil based fuels and effects on environment and human health. In: Chartier P, Ferrero GL, Henius UM, Hultberg S, Sachau J, Wiinblad M (eds) Proceedings of the 9th European bioenergy conference. Elsevier, Oxford, pp 1657–1661

  • Krahl J, Baum K, Hackbarth U, Jeberien HE, Munack A, Schütt C, Schröder O, Walter N, Bünger J, Müller M, Weigel A (1999) Gaseous compounds, ozone precursors, particle number and particle size distributions, and mutagenic effects due to biodiesel, ASAE paper no. 996136, ASAE, Michigan, USA

  • Maron DM, Ames BN (1983) Revised methods for the Salmonella mutagenicity test. Mutat Res 113:173–215

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matsushima T, Sawamura M, Hara K, Sugimura T (1976) A safe substitute for polychlorinated biphenyls as an inducer of metabolic activation system. In: de Serres FJ, Fouts JR, Bend JR, Philpot RM (eds) In vitro metabolic activation in mutagenesis testing. Elsevier/North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp 85–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Mermelstein R, Kiriazides DK, Butter M, McCoy EC, Rosenkranz HS (1981) The extraordinary mutagenicity of nitropyrenes in bacteria. Mutat Res 89:187–196

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mortelmans K, Zeiger E (2000) The Ames Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay. Mutat Res 455:29–60

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ohe T (1984) Mutagenicity of photochemical reaction products of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with nitrite. Sci Total Environ 39:161–175

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pan J, Quarderer S, Smeal T, Sharp C (2000) Comparison of PAH and nitro-PAH emissions among standard diesel fuel, biodiesel fuel, and their blend on diesel engines. In: Proceedings of the 48th ASMS conference on mass spectrometry and allied topics, Long Beach, California, USA, available from URL: http://wwwbiodieselorg/resources/reportsdatabase/reports/tra/tra-053pdf

  • Pedersen TC, Siak JS (1981) The role of nitroaromatic compounds in the direct-acting mutagenicity of diesel particle extracts. J Appl Toxicol 1:54–60

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pitts JN Jr, Van Cauwenberghe KA, Grosjean D, Schmid JP, Fitz DR, Belser WL, Knudson GP, Hynds PM (1978) Atmospheric reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: facile formation of mutagenic nitro derivatives. Science 202:515–519

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rivedal E, Myhre O, Scanner T, Eide I (2003) Supplemental role of the Ames mutation assay and gap junction intercellular communication in studies of possible carcinogenic compounds from diesel exhaust particles. Arch Toxicol 77:533–542

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer RF, Johnson JH (1995) Diesel emissions and control technology. In: Health Effects Institute; diesel exhaust: a critical analysis of emissions, exposure, and health effects. Cambridge, USA, pp 66–81

  • Scheepers PTJ, Bos RP (1992) Combustion of diesel fuel from a toxicological perspective, I. Origin of incomplete combustion products. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 64:149–161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shirnamé-Moré L (1995) Genotoxity of diesel emissions, part I: mutagenicity and other genetic effects. In: Health Effects Institute; diesel exhaust: a critical analysis of emissions, exposure, and health effects. Cambridge, USA, pp 223–242

  • Sjögren M, Li H, Banner C, Rafter J, Westerholm R, Rannug U (1996) Influence of physical and chemical characteristics of diesel fuels and exhaust emissions on biological effects of particle extracts: a multivariate statistical analysis of ten diesel fuels. Chem Res Toxicol 9:197–207

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Syassen O (1998) Diesel engine technologies for raw and transesterified plant oils as fuels: desired future qualities of the fuels. In: Martini N, Schell J (eds) Plant oils as fuels: present state of science and future developments. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 47–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Victorin K (1994) Review of the genotoxicity of nitrogen oxides. Mutat Res 317:43–55

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YY, Rappaport SM, RF Sawyer, Talcott RE, Wei ET (1978) Direct-acting mutagens in automobile exhaust. Cancer Lett 5:39–47

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute for Occupational Medicine of the Institutions for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention (BGFA), Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum, Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany

    Jürgen Bünger & Thomas Brüning

  2. Institute of Biosystems Engineering, Federal Agricultural Research Centre, Bundesallee 50, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany

    Jürgen Krahl & Olaf Schröder

  3. Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, University of Göttingen, Waldweg 37, 37073, Gottingen, Germany

    Andreas Weigel, Michael Müller, Ernst Hallier & Götz Westphal

Authors
  1. Jürgen Bünger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jürgen Krahl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andreas Weigel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Olaf Schröder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Thomas Brüning
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Michael Müller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Ernst Hallier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Götz Westphal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jürgen Bünger.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bünger, J., Krahl, J., Weigel, A. et al. Influence of fuel properties, nitrogen oxides, and exhaust treatment by an oxidation catalytic converter on the mutagenicity of diesel engine emissions. Arch Toxicol 80, 540–546 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-006-0088-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-006-0088-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation