Aromatic hydrocarbons. I. Presence in the Los Angeles atmosphere and the carcinogenicity of atmospheric extracts.

Abstract

Topical application of extracts of smog constituents from a primarily petroleum-polluted atmosphere (Los Angeles) produced skin papillomas and skin cancers on C57 black mice. The first tumor appeared after 465 days of application every third day. Thirteen of 31 surviving mice had tumors at the time of writing. Aliphatic hydrocarbons and their oxidation products provide an effluent for removal of carcinogenic hydrocarbons from inhaled soot. Also, they theoretically form various carcinogenic compounds from unsaturated hydrocarbons.