Mutagen
At a glance: An agent that permanently alters DNA and increases the mutation rate.
A mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, and increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. Because many mutations can cause cancer, mutagens can be carcinogens, although not all necessarily are. 27 Mutagenicity is one part of the CMR grouping—carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic—used in hazard classification and to flag SVHCs under systems including GHS and CLP. ICH M7 specifically addresses DNA-reactive mutagenic impurities.