Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) belong to recalcitrant pollutants that resist to decomposition by natural processes. As a result of long term industrial activities and accidents, PAHs and their residues accumulate in soil. Biodegradation processes that are able to decompose PAHs and their mixtures are rather complex and can be affected by many physical, chemical and biological factors [9,5]．Some PAHs are degraded to produce intermediates with a mutagenic activity, such as dihydrodiols, phenols, arene oxides, etc. [3,1]．The purpose of the study was to detect mutagens in soil contaminated with coke plant wastes in the course of many years of production and, on the basis of genotoxicity changes, evaluate the efficiency of biodegradation technologies used for decontamination.
展开▼
