2,4-Dichlorophenol and MCPA in a V79 Test

Abstract

Two industrial chemicals, 2,4-dichlorophenol and 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), which have no toxic effects on the Chinese hamster cell line V79 alone, were tested for toxicity and mutagenicity in a cell-mediated test, where mixed-function oxidase (MFO) enzymes are active in the metabolism of xenobiotics.

For 2,4-dichlorophenol, a dose-dependent toxicity as well as a slight mutagenicity could be shown when oxygenation enzymes were present. A similar degree of toxicity in a plant test system (the Allium test) indicates a similar risk of damage from exposure to dichlorophenol treatments in both these systems.

MCPA did not induce any toxic or mutagenic effects at the concentrations tested. These results were not in agreement with previous results in plant material, where MCPA was clearly toxic at relatively low doses. However, since chlorophenols have been found in plants sprayed with phenoxyacetic acids, further investigations should be performed concerning potential risk to human beings.