摘要：The elution patterns of silver ion from a household water purifier equipped with a silver-coated charcoal filter were investigated under domestic-type conditions and chromosomal aberration tests on human leukocyte cultures and cultured mammalian fibroblast cells were carried out in order to clarify the genetic toxicity of silver ion. New household water purifiers were used for the following elution studies. Two short-term elution tests showed that the concentration of silver ion in the eluate from a household water purifier was about 30 μg/l immediately after opening the tap, and fell to about 15 μg/l when 8 l of water had continuously passed through the purifier. The levels of silver ion in a long-term elution test for three months ranged from 13.0 to 28.5 μg/l. No silver ion was detected in tap water which had not been passed through the household water purifier (less than 1 μg/l). No significant chromosomal aberrations were induced by silver ion in human leukocyte cultures. However, the cytogenetic assay by using mammalian fibroblast cells suggested that silver ion might possess weak clastogenicity.
