DNA adducts in earthworms exposed to a contaminated soil

DNA adducts were quantified by 32P-postlabelling on the earthworm Eisenia fetida after an exposure to a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil sample. The pattern of adduct spots found on the chromatograms are consistent with the presence of bulky DNA adducts originating from PAH metabolites. After 1 or 2 weeks of exposure, amounts of DNA adducts in exposed worms (34.4 and 31.3 adducts per 109 nucleotides, respectively) were higher than those found in the unexposed control worms (16.5 adducts per 109 nucleotides).