Mutagenicity assessment of effluents from textile/dye industries of Sanganer, Jaipur (India): a case study

Sanganer town, district Jaipur (Rajasthan, India), is famous worldwide for its dyeing and printing industries. There are about 400 industries involved in textile printing processes, which discharge effluents into nearby ponds and drains, without any treatment. These effluents contain highly toxic dyes, bleaching agents, salts, acids, and alkalis. Heavy metals like cadmium, copper, zinc, chromium, and iron are also found in the dye effluents. Textile workers are exposed to such waters with no control over the length and frequency of exposure. Further, as the untreated effluents are discharged into the environment they can cause severe contamination of surface and underground water. Environmental pollution caused by such textile effluents results in adverse effects on flora, fauna, and the general health of not only the textile workers, but also the residents of Sanganer town. Therefore, to assess the possible genotoxic health risk and environmental genotoxicity due to the textile industry effluents, this study was carried out using the Ames Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay. The results clearly indicate that the effluents and the surface water of Amani Shah drainage have high mutagenic activity. Further, the drainage water and the dry bed of the drainage (during summer months) are not fit for agricultural or other recreational purposes. A low level of mutagenicity in the underground water of Sanganer again emphasizes the grave pollution problem existing in the area. Multiple post hoc comparison tests (LSD, Tukey's) were used for comparison of sample site, dose, and length of exposure. Quadratic Model was found to adequately fit the observed data.