Genotoxicity
Genotoxic effects for some PAH have been demonstrated both in rodents and in vitro tests using mammalian (including human) cell lines. Most of the PAHs are not genotoxic by themselves and they need to be metabolised to the diol epoxides which react with DNA, thus inducing genotoxic damage. Genotoxicity plays important role in the carcinogenicity process and maybe in some forms of developmental toxicity as well.