Application of Short-Term Bioassays to the Assessment of Engine Exhaust Emissions

Extracts of particulate emissions from light duty diesel, conventional gasoline and lean-burn gasoline engines have been analysed using a range of short-term bioassays. The intention of the analyses was to identify tests which could be routinely applied to exhaust assessment in order to study the effects of engine operating conditions and design on biological activity. In this respect the most promising assays were the Ames Salmonella typhimurium test for mutagenicity, the detection of chromosome damage in rat liver cells, and the assessment of growth and development defects in the Hydra Regeneration Assay.