Abstract

Heavy metals are cornerstones of human progress. They are quite literally the pillars of all major civilizations, past and present, on
the one hand, on the other hand, they are also the environmental pollutants of global concern because of their non-biodegradability.
Chromium, the earth’s 6th most abundant heavy metal, is a well-known carcinogenic and mutagenic metal that is discharged into
aquatic environments. With regard to toxicity, carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and hexavalent chromium are considered the most
potent one. Genotoxic pollutants interfere with the key functions of life since they affect the primary biological information
matrix DNA. These pollutants have led to the development of several genotoxicological tests, namely, chromosomal aberration
test, micronucleus (MN) test, sister chromatid exchange, and single-cell gel electrophoresis for detecting and identifying the
impact of genotoxicants present in the air, water and, soil. Assessment of micronuclei in fishes, is one the most common, easy
and, extensively used genotoxicity test to observe the genotoxic potential of environmental contaminants. Fishes are especially
vulnerable to heavy metal pollution because they live and feed in their aquatic surroundings and are unable to avoid the harmful
effects of pollutants. From this study, it has been found that K2Cr2O7, a hexavalent chromium compound, is the most extensively
used and erythrocytes are the most common cells studied for MN testing.