Mutagenicity determination of the wastewater emitted from petrochemical industry in Taiwan

Thirty-eight wastewater samples were collected from 19 petrochemical plants located in Taiwan during 1991. These plants represented most of petrochemical industry in Taiwan. Water samples were passed through an XAD-2 resin column and then eluted by acetone. The mutagenicity of wastewater was determined by the Ames Salmonella/microsome test. 52.6 and 26.3% of wastewater collected respectively in summer and winter were found to exhibit mutagenic activity in Salmonella typhimuriumTA 98 and TA 100. Four samples collected from 2 plants had higher levels of mutagenicity. The measurement and identification of mutagenic pollutants in this kind of wastewater need further investigation.