[Study of sea water pollution by determining the mutagenic activity of sediments].

Extracts from bottom sediments sampled in the Bering Sea and in certain regions of the Pacific Ocean were studied. Benzene and acetone-hexane extracts were tested for mutagenicity by Ames' bacterial test-system using the TA 98 and TA 100 Salmonella typhimurium strains. Extract from 4 stations of the 10 studied ones produced significant increase in the number of revertants. The experiments conducted permit drawing a conclusion on the probable distribution of mutagenic and carcinogenic activity zones in the ocean.