The mutagenic potentials of puritil which is used for sterilizing babies feeding utensils were assessed using the Allium cepa root meristem assay. The sterilizing fluid was found to exhibit both mitoclassic and chromatoclassic effects and thus induced a number of abnormalities. These abnormalities included disturbed interphase involving nuclear lesions and nuclear dissolutions, micronuclei and binucleate cells, sticky metaphase, disturbed anaphase involving unequal distribution of chromosomes and sticky bridges, and precocious chromosomes. These increased with increase in concentration and duration of treatment. Thus the mutagenic potentials of puritil exist and it should be of great concern since babies are exposed to it for at least the first two years of life. Keywords: Mutagenic, Potentials, Puritil, Root Tips, Allium cepa Bio-Research Vol. 6 (1) 2008: pp. 293-297
FI Akaneme, IV Iyioke
