[In-vitro Evaluation of the Clastogenic Properties of Nitrites and Nitrates]

In vitro culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes has been used to evaluate the ability of nitrates (NaNO3) and nitrites (NaNO2) to produce chromosome aberrations in mammalian cells. Whereas treatment with NaNO3 did not increase the spontaneous yield of aberrations, exposure to high doses of NaNO2 resulted in an low increase of micro-nucleated cells and of chromatid gaps.