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Azo dyes are extensively used in the textile industry and in printing inks, plastics and other materials. There are numerous studies that have implicated the adverse health effects that azo dyes may pose and it has been clarified that the biological activity of these azo dyes depends on their ability to generate reactive metabolites. The present study aimed to evaluate the genotoxic potential of one such azo dye, Reactive red using the Ames test and the Cytokinesis - Block micronucleus (CKBMN) assay in human lymphocytes. In the Ames test, no mutagenic response was seen in any of the test concentrations and tester strains, generally, evidenced as a two-three fold increase over the concurrent solvent controls. In the CKBMNT, the percentage micronucleatedbinucleate cells in the solvent control and in the treated groups, (4-hour, +/-S9 and continuous, -S9), fell within the historical range of the laboratory. Considering the lack of a 2-3 fold increase in the number of revertant colonies in reactive red-treated plates with respect to the solvent controls, it may be concluded that the test substance is non-mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium tester strains, at the doses tested and the experimental conditions employed.The percentage micronucleated binucleate cells of all Dye- treated cultures fell within or close to the historical control values and were not significantly different from the concurrent solvent control cultures. No dose-dependent increase in the frequency of micronuclei was recorded. Thus, Reactive red was considered non-mutagenic in the Ames test and non genotoxic in the in vitro micronucleus assay in human peripheral blood lymphocytes at the doses tested and the experimental conditions employed.