Abstract |
The report will deal primarily with subsequent advances and an attempt to place the emerging knowledge into perspective. Nitroarenes have been found in xerographic toners, typewriter ribbons, and cigarette smoke condensate (e.g., mainstream). The reason for the present concern about the possible health hazards of these chemicals is derived from the realization that they are present in diesel emissions, in fly ash derived from coal conversion processes and in the sidestreams of cigarette smoke. Thus, they are not only ubiquitous in the atmosphere but may also be present in high concentrations in confined spaces, such as the office and home environment, primarily as the result of cigarette smoking. Literally hundreds of nitroarenes have been detected in diesel emissions and in the ambient atmosphere. It is now realized that nitroarenes are perhaps ubiquitious as a result of the facile nitration by oxides of nitrogen (in the presence of traces of acids) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emitted during the course of incomplete combustion processes. Obviously, the recognition of hundreds of environmental nitroarenes means that it will not be practical to prepare sufficient quantities of each of these and to determine their mutagenic and carcinogenic potentials. Accordingly, The approach has been to study structural commonalities which might be useful in predicting biological properties. Some of the preliminary findings are reported herein. |