A study was made of lethal and mutagenic effects of 6-3H-thymidine and 6-3H-cytosine, incorporated into DNA, on extracellular phage lambda. The lethal effects of both 6-3H-pyrimidines (the number of lethal hits per 3H decay) do not differ from those of [3H-methyl]thymidine and 5-3H-cytosine. The mutagenic effects (at equal survival rates) are as follows: 6-3H-thymidine approximately 3H2O less than [3H-methyl]thymidine less than 6-3H-cytosine less than 5-3H-cytosine. UV-irradiation of host cells induces a more pronounced W-mutagenesis with 6-3H-cytosine than with 6-3H-thymidine.