Contact with biodiesel, seen as an alternative fuel that is less harmful than fossil fuels, could be causing genetic mutations, concludes a doctoral thesis study by Daniela Morais Leme, at Brazil's State University of São Paulo. Soy biodiesel, pure petroleum-based diesel and mixtures of the two were analyzed. The results show that regular diesel is toxic to cells, but the surprise was the impact of the biofuel, which had a mutation effect on the cell's DNA.

“We conducted tests using onions, salmonella bacteria, and ovarian cells from the Chinese hamster, and in all cases there was some type of mutation,” Leme told Tierramérica.

The source of the biodiesel used in the study was soybeans. “The aim was to determine the impact on the environment, in case there is a spill in fuel distribution,” she said.