Mutagenicity of organic emissions from unvented kerosene heaters in a chamber study

Abstract

A study was conducted to assess the mutagenicity of semivolatile organics and particle‐bound organics emitted from unvented kerosene space heaters. The units tested included a well‐tuned radiant heater and a maltuned convective heater. The tests were conducted in a 27‐m³ chamber with a prescribed on/off heater usage pattern. The organic emissions were collected on Teflon‐coated glass filters backed by XAD‐2 resin. The dichloromethane‐extractable organics from both the filters and the XAD were analyzed for nitropolycydic hydrocarbons using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and were bioassayed for mutagenicity in microsuspension assays using Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 with and without S9 and TA98NR (a nitroreductase‐deficient strain) without S9. The results showed that both the semivolatile and particle‐bound organics emitted from the kerosene heaters were mutagenic, and the presence of nitropolycydic hydrocarbons in these organic emissions substantiated these findings.