重金属Cd、Zn、Cu、Pb复合污染对土壤微生物和酶活性的影响

通过野外土样采集及室内测定,研究了云南东川铜矿区土壤酶和微生物特征,并采用盆栽试验研究了重金属Cd、Zn、Cu、Pb复合污染对土壤微生物和酶活性的影响。结果表明,距离矿口越近,土壤有机质、有效N、P、K的含量、土壤pH值亦越低,土壤酶活性和土壤微生物数量、微生物生物量C和N受到的抑制程度也增强,其中土壤酶中的酸性磷酸酶和过氧化氢酶,土壤微生物中的细菌对重金属污染较为敏感。盆栽试验中,Cd、Zn、Cu、Pb复合污染使白菜(Brassica rapapekinensis)生物量明显下降,且随复合污染程度的增加,白菜生物量下降幅度增加。Cd与Zn、Cu、Pb,Zn与Cd、Cu、Pb,Cu与Cd、Zn、Pb的复合效应机制为协同效应,而Pb与Cd、Zn、Cu的复合效应机制为拮抗效应。重金属Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd复合污染使土壤酶活性显著降低,但低量的Cd、Zn、Cu、Pb复合污染刺激了细菌、真菌、放线菌、微生物生物量C和N。重金属Cd、Zn、Cu、Pb对土壤酶活性和土壤微生物数量及微生物生物量C和N的复合效应机制表现出协同和拮抗效应。     

黄河三角洲芦苇湿地不同水期土壤-植被重金属分布特征

ICP-AES法研究了黄河三角洲湿地平水期(4月)、丰水期(8月)和枯水期(10月)土壤和植被重金属(Hg,Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd和Cr)含量分布特征,并分析了土壤和植被重金属含量的关系。结果表明:(1)黄河三角洲芦苇湿地表土和底泥Hg,Cu,Zn平均含量变化呈递减趋势,依次表现出:平水期丰水期枯水期,不同时期土壤重金属Hg,Cu,Zn含量均表现为表土底泥;黄河三角洲芦苇湿地表土和底泥Pb,Cd和Cr平均含量变化呈递增趋势,依次表现出:枯水期丰水期平水期,并且不同时期土壤重金属Pb,Cd和Cr含量均表现为底泥表土,局部有所波动,综合分析可知,黄河三角洲芦苇湿地平水期的Hg,Cu,Zn污染最严重,枯水期Pb,Cd和Cr污染最严重;(2)黄河三角洲芦苇湿地表土重金属Hg,Cu,Zn含量高于底泥,表土重金属Pb,Cd和Cr含量低于底泥;(3)黄河三角洲芦苇湿地植被重金属Hg,Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd和Cr含量均显著高于土壤(p0.05),说明植被的吸收作用在土壤重金属污染中起着关键作用;(4)主成分分析表明黄河三角洲芦苇湿地土壤中Hg和Zn含量、植被中Pb和Cd的含量变化是黄河三角洲芦苇湿地的重金属污染主要影响因子;相关性分析表明,植被体内的重金属含量主要来自和依赖于土壤重金属含量,同时植被对于土壤各重金属的吸收也保持一定的独立性。     

煤矸石山优势植物对重金属吸收及富集特征

对六盘水市某煤矿煤矸石山14种优势植物根际土壤污染状况以及对重金属吸收与富集特征进行研究。结果表明:煤矸石风化土壤中重金属Zn、Cu、Cd和Pb有明显积累,Cd的污染最为严重。对各种植物体内的重金属含量分析发现,地上部分中Cu、Pb含量最高的植物为假酸浆,分别为46.79,12.56mg/kg;Zn含量最高的植物是酸模叶蓼,为60.97mg/kg;Cd含量最高的植物是龙葵,为1.84mg/kg。对转移系数和富集系数分析发现,鬼针草、千里光、龙葵、醉鱼草艾蒿和野棉花对Zn、Cu、Cd、Pb具有较强转移能力;假酸浆的地上部分对Cd的富集系数最高,为1.28;假酸浆的地下部分对重金属Zn、Cu、Cd、Pb的富集系数也较高,分别为1.83,0.90,3.20,1.96。因此,假酸浆可作为煤矸石风化土植被恢复的植物,同时也可用于重金属污染土壤的修复植物。     

洞庭湖芦苇湿地不同水期土壤—植被重金属分布特征

以洞庭湖芦苇湿地为例,连续2a采用ICP-AES法研究了平水期(4月)、丰水期(8月)和枯水期(10月)土壤和植被重金属(Hg、Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd和Cr)含量分布特征,并分析了土壤和植被重金属含量的关系。研究结果表明,(1)洞庭湖芦苇湿地表土和底泥Hg、Cu、Zn平均含量变化呈递减趋势,依次表现出平水期丰水期枯水期,不同时期土壤重金属Hg、Cu、Zn含量均表现为表土底泥;洞庭湖芦苇湿地表土和底泥Pb、Cd和Cr平均含量变化呈递增趋势,依次表现出枯水期丰水期平水期,并且不同时期土壤重金属Pb、Cd和Cr含量均表现为底泥表土,局部有所波动,综合分析可知,洞庭湖芦苇湿地平水期的Hg、Cu、Zn污染最严重,枯水期Pb、Cd和Cr污染最严重。(2)洞庭湖芦苇湿地表土重金属Hg、Cu、Zn含量高于底泥,表土重金属Pb、Cd和Cr含量低于底泥。(3)洞庭湖芦苇湿地植被重金属Hg、Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd和Cr含量均显著高于土壤(P0.05),说明植被的吸收作用在土壤重金属污染中起着关键作用。(4)主成分分析表明,洞庭湖芦苇湿地土壤中Hg和Zn含量、植被中Pb和Cd的含量变化是洞庭湖芦苇湿地的重金属污染主要影响因子;相关性分析表明,植被体内的重金属含量主要来自和依赖于土壤重金属含量,同时植被对于土壤各重金属的吸收也保持一定的独立性。     

重金属胁迫条件下空心莲子草的生长和营养特征分析

空心莲子草是一种常见的水生植物,并能在重金属污染的水体或附近土壤中生长。本研究发现,空心莲子草能富集6种常见的重金属元素,其富集能力为：Zn2＋〉Mn2＋〉Pb2＋〉Cu2＋〉Cd2＋〉Cr3＋。高浓度（1mmol/L）Cu2＋、Mn2＋、Zn2＋和Cr3＋等重金属胁迫处理条件下,空心莲子草的根冠比增加,生物干重、总根长和总根表面积都相应降低。此外,高浓度（1mmol/L）Pb2＋、Cd2＋、Cu2＋或Zn2＋分别胁迫处理条件下,空心莲子草的K＋、Ca＋和Mg＋等元素的含量变化差异显著（P〈0.05）。以上研究表明,空心莲子草通过改变体内钾钙镁等重要生长元素营养情况来适应重金属污染的胁迫,有很强的富集重金属元素的能力,进而降低污染、净化水体。空心莲子草对重金属污染的生长响应及体内重要矿物元素营养特性之间的相互关系,可能为重金属污染的水土生物修复提供理论依据。     

营养元素N、P、K对Pb超富集植物吸收能力的影响

为了探索提高Pb(铅)超富集植物吸收能力的方法，该文通过温室土培方法，研究了单一营养元素N、P、K对Pb超富集植物羽叶鬼针草(Bidens maximowicziana)、绿叶苋菜(L.Amaranthus tricolor)和紫穗槐(Sophora japonica)3种植物Pb吸收的影响。营养元素的设计水平为N 0、0.06、0.12、0.18、0.24、0.30 g/kg，P₂O₅ 0、0.06、0.12、0.18、0.24、0.30 g/kg，K₂O 0.08、0.16、0.24、0.32、0.40 g/kg，其他2种元素恒定为0.12 g/kg，土壤铅浓度为800 mg/kg土。结果表明土壤中施入不同水平的营养元素显著影响植物Pb迁移总量。18个处理中羽叶鬼针草、绿叶苋菜与紫穗槐Pb迁移总量最大值与最小值的比值分别为：11.6、10.6、11.9。该试验表明通过调节土壤营养的方法可以提高植物的重金属的迁移总量，利用Pb超富集植物修复Pb污染土壤。3种营养元素对植物的效应不一致，少量的N和K可促进富集植物干质量的增加，促进植物对Pb的吸收，随着N和K水平的增加，植物对Pb的吸收能力降低，但K的抑制作用不如N的显著；土壤供P会降低植物对Pb的吸收，且下降极显著。     

洞庭湖区典型蔬菜土壤镉、铜、锌、铅含量状况及评价

采用单项污染指数和综合污染指数法对湖南洞庭湖区典型蔬菜土壤Cd,Cu,Zn,Pb含量状况进行了评价。结果表明,与湖南省潮土土壤背景值相比,土壤Cd,Cu和Zn含量明显富集,Pb含量总体不高。与国家土壤质量二级标准(GB15618-1995)相比,洞庭湖区蔬菜土壤以Cd污染为主,其次是Zn和Cu。Pb含量没有超标,其中湘阴县、沅江市、资阳区和赫山区蔬菜土壤环境质量为轻度污染,华容县处于警戒水平,需要修复治理或者改变土地利用方式。君山区和南县蔬菜土壤为清洁水平,适宜发展无公害蔬菜。污染风险高的区域土壤Cd,Cu和Zn之间存在极显著或显著正相关关系,但相关性弱。     

施污土壤与污泥中Cu、Pb、Cd、Zn的形态分布

污泥中的重金属元素是限制其大规模农田利用的重要因素。施污土壤和污泥中重金属的形态研究可以用来评价土壤中重金属的生物有效性以及它们在土壤中的移动性。用修正BCR三步连续提取法进行分步提取研究了污水污泥和施污后的西红柿地土壤中Cu、Pb、Cd、Zn的形态分布状况。施用污泥堆肥10t hm-2后的土壤中Cu、Pb、Cd、Zn的全量与各种形态含量无明显增加,Cu、Pb、Zn含量远低于国家土壤环境质量标准。土壤中Cu的各种形态分布关系是:残渣态>可还原态=可氧化态>可交换态和弱酸溶解态,Cu在土壤中的存在是以最稳定的残渣态为主。堆肥污泥与干化污泥相比,残渣态Cu的比例明显增加。土壤中Pb的各种形态分布关系是以残渣态和可还原态为主,但可氧化态的分布比例最小。土壤中Cd的可交换态、可还原态和残渣态各占据相等的含量,但可氧化态Cd的含量几乎为零。Zn在土壤中的各种形态分布关系是:可交换态和弱酸溶解态>可氧化态>可还原态>残渣态,Zn在土壤中的存在是以最易迁移的可交换态和弱酸溶解态为主。这些金属元素在土壤中的相对稳定性顺序为:Cu>Pb>Cd>Zn。Zn在土壤中的移动性要远高于Cu。     

重金属污染土壤的植物修复研究Ⅰ.金属富集植物Brassica juncea对铜、锌、镉、铅污染的响应

用来修复污染土壤的理想植物应具有高的生物量并能忍耐和积累污染物.印度芥菜(Brassica juncea)能富集多种重金属且生物量较大.本文研究了Zn、Cd、Cu、Pb 4种重金属对印度芥菜生长的影响,特别是重金属对印度芥菜地上部生物量的影响.结果表明,在含Cu 250 mg/kg、Pb 500mg/kg或Zn 500mg/kg的污染土壤上,印度芥菜能够忍耐,正常生长.印度芥菜在含Cd 200 mg/kg的土壤上发生镉毒而出现失绿黄化症状,Cd与中等浓度的Zn、Cu、Pb共存时毒害更为严重.这种植物适合Cu、Zn、Pb中等污染土壤的修复.     

废旧汽车拆解区土壤重金属分布及Pb、Zn生物有效性分析

为了解废旧汽车拆解区土壤重金属污染问题,采集某废旧汽车拆解厂汽车拆解区垂向0~1000 cm深度的土壤样品,对重金属Cu、Zn、Pb、Cr、Ni、Cd、Hg和As元素含量进行检测和污染评价,并对土壤中重金属Pb和Zn的不同形态进行分析研究。研究发现:废旧汽车拆解区表层土壤存在一定程度的Cu、Zn、Pb、Cr、Ni、As污染,其中,Pb、Zn、Cu含量严重超标,呈现Cu、Ni、Pb、Cr、Zn、As多种元素复合污染的特性。同时,拆解区土壤中重金属含量随土壤深度显著下降,但是,Pb和As的污染超标深度可达150 cm。拆解区土壤中可离子交换态的Pb含量最低,土壤pH值对各种形态重金属Pb的控制作用不显著,随着土壤垂向深度的增加,可氧化态和弱酸提取态Pb的比例迅速降低,残渣态Pb的质量分数逐渐提高,Pb的生物有效性下降。土壤pH对可Zn的生物有效性具有显著相关性,弱酸性土壤中以生物有效性高的形态Zn存在,中性土壤中以可还原态和可氧化态Zn为主。     

Bioavailability of As,Cd, Co,Cr, Cu,Hg, Mo,Ni, Pb,Se, and Zn from Biosolids Amended Compost

Appropriate compost standards are being considered in Canada. Five aspects of compost safety and quality are being evaluated; probably the most controversial aspect is the standards for metals in compost. In order to assist in the development of appropriate standards, the authors began an extensive research project in October, 1993 to determine the bioavailability of metals from compost and compost-metal mixtures. Swiss chard was grown in compost-amended soils or compost in a growth room using five treatments of increasing percentages of compost in the media (0, 25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, 100 percent compost (v/v)). A Truro loamy sand and a race-track manure-biosolids compost (RTM-biosolids) supplemented with a high metal biosolids were used in a completely randomized design with five replicates. Dry matter yield, metal content in plant tissue, and total metal uptake were evaluated as well as the total and DTPA-extractable metal content in the compost-soil mixes. The results of this and five other experiments conducted by the authors will help determine whether the suggested limits for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn in composts are appropriate.     

Phytotoxicity of cobalt,vanadium, titanium,silver, and chromium

Abstract

The phytotoxicity of five nonessential elements (Co, V, Ti, Ag, Cr) to higher plants was studied in solution culture experiments with bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. C.V. Improved Tendergreen). All, but in varying degrees, tended to concentrate in roots with a decreasing gradient to stems and leaves. Cobalt was one of the more mobile of the five trace metals. Its toxicity was expressed as severe chlorosis; 43 (with 10^‐5 M) and 142 (with 10^‐4 M) μg Co/g dry weight in leaves resulted in severe chlorosis. Vanadium as 10^‐4 M vanadate resulted in smaller plants but not in chlorosis. Leaf, stem, and root V, respectively, were 13, 8, and 881 μg/g dry weight. Titanium was somewhat mobile with considerable yield decrease at 10^‐4 M; leaf, stem, and root Ti concentrations, respectively, were 202, 48, and 2420 μg/g. Symptoms were chlorosis, necrotic spots on leaves, and stunting. Silver was very lethal at 10^‐4 M AgNO₃; at 10^‐5 M yields were greatly decreased, but plants were grown without symptoms. Leaf, stem, and root concentrations of Ag for this treatment, respectively, were 5.8, 5.1, and 1760 μg/g dry weight. Plants grown with 10^‐5 N Cr₂O₇ were decreased in yield by about 25% with or without EDTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid) while the same level of Cr₂(SO₄)₃ was essentially without effect. For the two salts, the leaf, stem, root concentrations for Cr, respectively were 2.2 and 1.3, 0.7 and 0. 7, and 140 and 104 μg/g. Most of the trace metals studied here had interactions in the uptake and/or distribution of other elements.     

Variation of N,P, K,Ca, Mg,Mn, Zn,and al in slash pine foliage

Abstract

The seasonal patterns of foliage nutrient concentrations and contents were monitored for two growing seasons in an 11‐year—old Pinus el1iottii stand. In the first growing season after needle initiation, N, P, K, Mg, and Zn concentrations decreased, but this was followed by an increase in the fall and winter months. Another drop in concentration of all elements, except P, occurred in the second growing season. Decreases in total contents indicated that this drop was a result of translocation to other tissues. In contrast to the mobile elements, the concentration and fascicle contents of Ca, Mn, and Al increased with aging of the needles.

Between‐tree variability was least for N, P, and Zn and the N, K, Mg, Mn, and Zn in the current foliage had consistently lower variation than that in the 1‐year‐old foliage. Between‐tree variation for K was lower in the winter than the spring.

For pine foliage, recommended sampling period for N, P, Mg, and Zn is mid to late summer and for the other elements it is late fall to late winter.

There are several sources of variation that influence the level of nutrients in tree foliage. The most important of these, apart from the tree nutrient status, are seasonal fluctuations, variation between trees, and age of needles . Smaller sources of variation are associated with position of the needles within the crown, diurnal changes, year to year variation, and analytical errors^1,2. These variables must be studied in order to develop suitable sampling techniques and in Pinus this has been undertaken for P. banksiana ¹, P. taeda ³, P. strobus ⁴, P. resinosa ⁴, P. sylvestris ⁵, and P. radiata ^6,7. However, foliage sampling has not been studied in detail for slash pine (Pinus elliottii Englem var. elliottii) and earlier studies with other pines have been largely confined to temperate or cool climates.

This study reports the variation in elemental concentrations with season, age of foliage, and between slash pine trees growing in a subtropical climate in Florida.     

Thin layer chromatographic determination of aflatoxins, ochratoxins, sterigmatocystin, zearalenone, citrinin, T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, penicillic acid, patulin, and penitrem A.

A general method is described for determining 16 mycotoxins in mixed feeds and other food products used in the manufacture of these feedstuffs. The mycotoxins are extracted and cleaned up by extracting with solvents of different pH. Thin layer chromatography is used to separate the toxins; toxins are then quantitated by the limit detection method. The minimum detectable concentration of mycotoxins in various products is: aflatoxin B1 or G1, 4--5 micrograms/kg; ochratoxin A or ethyl ester A 140--145 micrograms/kg; citrinin 600--750 micrograms/kg; zearalenone, 410--500 micrograms/kg; sterigmatocystin, 140--145 micrograms/kg; diacetoxyscirpenol, 2400--2600 micrograms/kg; T-2 toxin, 800--950 micrograms/kg; patulin, 750--800 micrograms/kg; penitrem A 14,000--14,500 micrograms/kg; penicillic acid 3400--3650 micrograms/kg.     

Glucoraphanin and 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin contents in seeds of 59 cultivars of broccoli, raab, kohlrabi, radish, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage

The importance of dietary sulforaphane in helping maintain good health continues to gain support within the health-care community and awareness among U.S. consumers. In addition to the traditional avenue for obtaining sulforaphane, namely, the consumption of appropriate cruciferous vegetables, other consumer products containing added glucoraphanin, the natural precursor to sulforaphane, are now appearing in the United States. Crucifer seeds are a likely source for obtaining glucoraphanin, owing to a higher concentration of glucoraphanin and the relative ease of processing seeds as compared to vegetative parts. Seeds of several commonly consumed crucifers were analyzed not only for glucoraphanin but also for components that might have negative health implications, such as certain indole-containing glucosinolates and erucic acid-containing lipids. Glucoraphanin, 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin, other glucosinolates, and lipid erucic acid were quantified in seeds of 33 commercially available cultivars of broccoli, 4 cultivars each of kohlrabi, radish, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage, and 2 cultivars of raab.     

Cooking,Roasting, and Fermentation of Chickpeas,Lentils, Peas,and Soybeans for Fortification of Leavened Bread

The effects of cooking, roasting, and fermentation on the composition and protein properties of grain legumes and the characteristics of dough and bread incorporated with legume flours were determined to identify an appropriate pretreatment. Oligosaccharide content of legumes was reduced by 76.2–96.9% by fermentation, 44.0–64.0% by roasting, and 28.4–70.1% by cooking. Cooking and roasting decreased protein solubility but improved in vitro protein digestibility. Mixograph absorption of wheat and legume flour blends increased from 50–52% for raw legumes to 68–76, 62–64, and 74–80% for cooked, roasted, and fermented ones, respectively. Bread dough with cooked or roasted legume flour was less sticky than that with raw or fermented legume flour. Loaf volume of bread baked from wheat and raw or roasted legume flour blends with or without gluten addition was consistently highest for chickpeas, less for peas and lentils, and lowest for soybeans. Roasted legume flour exhibited more appealing aroma and greater loaf volume of bread than cooked legume flour, and it appears to be the most appropriate preprocessing method for incorporation into bread.     

Hydrophilic chromatographic determination of carnosine, anserine, balenine, creatine, and creatinine

A new HPLC procedure based on hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has been developed for the simultaneous determination of carnosine, anserine, balenine, creatine, and creatinine in meat. This is the first time that HILIC has been directly applied to the study of meat components, having the advantage of not requiring complex cleanup and/or sample derivatization procedures. The chromatographic separation has been developed using a silica column (4.6 x 150 mm, 3 microm), and the proposed methodology is simple, reliable, and fast (<13 min per sample). The method has been validated in terms of linearity, repeatability, reproducibility, and recovery and represents an interesting alternative to methods currently in use for determining the mentioned compounds and other polar substances. The detection limits are 5.64, 8.23, 3.66, 3.99, and 0.06 microg/mL for carnosine, anserine, balenine, creatine, and creatinine, respectively.     

Fluxes of Cu,Zn, Pb,Cd, Cr,and Ni in temperate forest ecosystems

The literature on the fluxes of six heavy metals in temperate forest ecosystems is reviewed. Special attention is given to wet and dry deposition and internal flux, to metal budgets for ecosystems and soils, to concentrations in aqueous compartments of the ecosystem and to speciation in soil solutions. Metal fluxes are discussed in relation to pollution load, soil type, tree species and land use. The mobility of Cu and Pb is strongly dependent on the solubility of organic matter. These metals are commonly accumulated in forest soils. Zinc, Cd and Ni are greatly influenced by soil acidity and are often lost in considerable amounts from acidified soils. Chromium is often at balance in forest ecosystems. Implications for metal solubility and budgets in forest soils are discussed in connection with an increase in soil acidification.     

Volatilization of trifluralin,atrazine, metolachlor,chlorpyrifos, alpha-endosulfan,and beta-endosulfan from freshly tilled soil

The volatile and soil loss profiles of six agricultural pesticides were measured for 20 days following treatment to freshly tilled soil at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The volatile fluxes were determined using the Theoretical Profile Shape (TPS) method. Polyurethane foam plugs were used to collect the gas-phase levels of the pesticides at the TPS-defined critical height above a treated field. Surface-soil (0-8 cm) samples were collected on each day of air sampling. The order of the volatile flux losses was trifluralin > alpha-endosulfan > chlorpyrifos > metolachlor > atrazine > beta-endosulfan. The magnitude of the losses ranged from 14.1% of nominal applied amounts of trifluralin to 2.5% of beta-endosulfan. The daily loss profiles were typical of those observed by others for volatile flux of pesticides from moist soil. Even though heavy rains occurred from the first to third day after treatment, the majority of the losses took place within 4 days of treatment, that is, 59% of the total applied atrazine and metolachlor and >78% of the other pesticides. Soil losses generally followed pseudo-first-order kinetics; however, leaching due to heavy rainfall caused significant errors in these results. The portion of soil losses that were accounted for by the volatile fluxes was ordered as follows: alpha-endosulfan, 34.5%; trifluralin, 26.5%; chlorpyrifos, 23.3%; beta-endosulfan, 14.5%; metolachlor, 12.4%; and atrazine, 7.5%.     

Evaluation of the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, mutagenicity, and antimutagenicity of propolis from Tucuman, Argentina

This study evaluates the toxic, genotoxic/mutagenic, and antimutagenic effects of propolis extract from Amaicha del Valle, Tucumán, Argentina. The cytotoxicity assays carried out with the lethality test of Artemia salina revealed that the LD50 was around 100 microg/mL. Propolis extracts showed no toxicity to Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains and Allium cepa at concentrations that have antibiotic and antioxidant activities. Otherwise, for the testing doses, neither genotoxicity nor mutagenicity was found in any sample. The propolis extracts were able to inhibit the mutagenesis of isoquinoline (IQ) and 4-nitro o-phenylenediamine (NPD) with ID50 values of 40 and 20 microg/plate, respectively. From this result, the studied propolis may be inferred to contain some chemical compounds capable of inhibiting the mutagenicity of direct-acting and indirect-acting mutagens. A compound isolated from Amaicha del Valle propolis, 2',4'-dihydroxychalcone, showed cytotoxic activity (LC50 values of 0.5 microg/mL) but was not genotoxic or mutagenic. Furthermore, this compound was able to inhibit the mutagenicity of IQ (ID50 values of 1 microg/plate) but was unable to inhibit the mutagenicity of NPD. Our results suggest a potential anticarcinogenic activity of Amaicha del Valle propolis and the chalcone isolated from it.