DNA damage caused by pesticide-contaminated soil.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the DNA damaging potential and the genotoxicity of individual compounds in pesticide contaminated soil. METHODS: In the present study, DNA damaging potential of pesticide-contaminated soil and the genotoxicity of individual compounds present in the soil were assessed using fluorimetric analysis of DNA unwinding assay. RESULTS: The contaminated soil sample showed 79% (P < 0.001) of DNA strand break, whereas technical grade of major carbaryl and alpha-naphthol constituents of the contaminated soil showed 64% (P < 0.01) and 60% (P < 0.02) damage respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the toxicity caused by contaminated soil is mainly due to carbaryl and alpha-napthol, which are the major constituents of the soil sample analyzed by GC-MS.