Evaluation of the mutagenic effect of water and soil samples collected near the former storage facilities for organochlorine pesticides in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region using various model test systems

Obsolete organochlorine pesticides are currently prohibited as persistent organic pollutants. If undisposed they continue to pollute soil and water, to accumulate in the food chain and to harm plants, animals and human body. The aim of the study was to assess the pollution of water and soil around the warehouses by unutilized banned organochlorine pesticides and their possible genotoxic effects. Former warehouses of pesticides were investigated in two settlements of Zhambyl district of Almaty region. Chemical analysis showed contamination of the soil around the warehouses with organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals. Water and soil samples taken near the storage facilities were used for environmental risk assessment. The genotoxic effect of water and soil samples was evaluated on various model objects: Salmonella typhymurium, Drosophila melanogaster, Allium cepa, sheep and human lymphocyte cultures. It was found that water and soil samples caused a weak mutagenic effect in all model systems, increasing the frequency of mutations and chromosomal aberrations. Although a genotoxic effect was demonstrated for each of models, different models showed different sensitivity to the action of pesticides and varied degrees of response. Therefore, for adequate assessment of the mutagenicity of pesticides, it is necessary to use a battery of tests with different model objects. The results demonstrated that obsolete pesticide residues still pollute the environment and must be disposed of in a safe way in a timely manner to avoid environmental pollution.