Another crucial aspect of chemical treatment is the removal of heavy metals and other harmful substances. Various chemical agents, such as lime, sodium sulfide, or chelating agents can be introduced to precipitate heavy metals, allowing them to be efficiently removed. This is particularly important in industrial areas where water may be contaminated by metals like lead, mercury, or cadmium. Ion exchange is another method that can be quite effective for softening hard water by replacing calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions.
The mechanism by which NMU induces mutations is primarily through its alkylating properties. Upon exposure, NMU can add alkyl groups to DNA bases, leading to mispairing during DNA replication. This results in transitions or transversions in the nucleotide sequence, which can ultimately lead to permanent mutations. If these mutations occur in critical genes responsible for regulating cell growth and division, such as proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, they may lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation and cancer.
nitroso methyl urea