The mutagenicity of 27 acrylate esters was assessed in the Salmonella-microsome assay. Methyl, ethyl, butyl, t-butyl, pentyl, neopentyl, hexyl acrylate and methacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate were tested; furthermore ethanediol, butanediol, pentanediol, neopentanediol, hexanediol and diethyleneglycol diacrylate and dimethacrylate. None of these 27 acrylate esters appeared to be mutagenic in the standard Ames assay with TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA98 and TA100, both with and without Aroclor 1254 or phenobarbital-induced S9 mix. A liquid incubation assay of methyl methacrylate, methyl, butyl and hexyl acrylate with TA100 neither gave any indication of a mutagenic activity of these compounds.