[Chromosomal aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges and micronuclei induced in human lymphocytes by sodium bisulfite (sulfur dioxide)].

The frequencies of chromosomal aberrations (CA), sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and micronuclei (MN) in human blood lymphocytes exposed to sodium bisulfite (sulfur dioxide) at varies concentrations ranging from 5 x 10(-5) to 2 x 10(-3) mol/L in vitro were studied. It was shown that sodium bisulfite (NaHSO3 and Na2SO3, 1:3 mol/L) caused an increase in SCE and MN of human blood lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner, and also induced mitotic delays and decreased mitotic index of the lymphocytes. For CA, our results indicated that sodium bisulfite induced an increase of chromatid-type aberrations of the lymphocytes from three of four donors in a dose-dependent manner. The chemical at low concentrations induced chromatid-type aberrations but not chromosome-type aberrations; at high concentrations induced-both chromatid and chromosome-type aberrations of lymphocytes. No cytogenetic effects of sodium bisulfite on the human blood lymphocytes were observed in these assays. The results have confirmed that sulfur dioxide is a clastogenic and genotoxic agent.