Fifty-three chemicals were tested for mutagenicity in Drosophila melanogaster by adult feeding and, where results were negative, by adult injection for the induction of sex-linked recessive lethal mutations in meiotic and postmeiotic germ cell stages of Canton-S males. One compound was tested by inhalation. Those compounds that induced lethal mutations were tested further for the induction of reciprocal translocations. Seventeen of the 53 compounds (acetaldehyde, 2-aminoanthracene, bromoform, t-butyl hydroperoxide, chlorambucil, trans-cinnamaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene, dimethoxane, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, 1,2-epoxy-3,3,3-trichloropropane, formaldehyde, furfural, halothane, HC yellow 4, and picric acid) were found to induce lethal mutations and three (2-aminoanthracene, chlorambucil,and crotonaldehyde) also induced reciprocal translocations.

Forty-eight chemicals were tested for mutagenicity in Drosophila melanogaster. Each compound was tested first for the induction of sex-linked recessive lethals (SLRLs) by feeding the chemical in a solution of 5% aqueous sucrose. If it was not mutagenic by this route, the chemical was tested by injection in a solution of 0.7% aqueous NaCl. If found inactive, the compound was not tested further. If it was mutagenic, the compound was tested for the induction of reciprocal translocations (RTs) using the exposure protocol and germ cell stage that yielded positive results in the SLRL assay. Eight chemicals (diglycidylresorcinol ether, AF-2, alloxan monohydrate, 1-aziridine ethanol, p,p'-DDE, dichloroacetonitrile, 1,3-dichloropropene, and 3,3'-dimethylbenzidine dihydrochloride) were found to induce SLRLs. Only diglycidylresorcinol ether also induced RTs.

Seventy chemicals were tested for the ability to induce sex-linked recessive lethal (SLRL) mutations in postmeiotic and meiotic germ cells of male Drosophila melanogaster. As in the previous studies in this series, adult feeding was chosen as the first route of administration. If the compound failed to induce mutations by this route, injection exposure was used. Two chemicals, n-butane and propylene, were gaseous and therefore tested only by inhalation. One chemical (dimethylcarbamoyl chloride) was tested only by injection. Those chemicals that were mutagenic in the SLRL assay were further tested for the ability to induce reciprocal translocations. Sixteen of the 70 chemicals tested were mutagenic in the SLRL assay: 3-chloro-2-methylpropene, 3-(chloromethyl)pyridine HCl, dimethylcarbamoyl chloride, HC blue 1,3-iodo-1,2-propanediol, malaoxon, N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide, 4,4'-methylenedianiline 2HCl, ziram, cis-dichlorodiaminoplatinum II, 1,2-dibromoethane, dibromomannitol, 1,2-epoxypropane, glycidol, myleran, and toluene diisocyanate. The last seven also induced reciprocal translocations. A comparison of the results from the SLRL assay with other assays for mutagens and carcinogens suggests that the SLRL assay is highly specific, but poorly sensitive, both for mutagens and potential carcinogens.

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Results are presented from mutagenesis testing in Drosophila of 20 coded compounds. Two compounds were positive in the sex-linked recessive lethal test, and two were inconclusive. The positive compounds were calcium chromate in adult feeding experiments and ferrocene after adult injection. The two inconclusive compounds were 2,4-diaminophenol dihydrochloride and hexachlorocyclopentadiene. Compounds that produced a positive response were assayed for chromosome breakage using the conventional translocation test. Calcium chromate was negative in the translocation test, and ferrocene was positive. Many of the test compounds were poorly soluble in water, raising questions regarding the effective concentration to which the flies were exposed.