US EPA

657930 

Journal Article 

A database of chemical toxicity to environmental bacteria and its use in interspecies comparisons and correlations 

Blum, DJ; Speece, RE 

1991 

1 

Research Journal of the Water Pollution Control Federation
ISSN: 1047-7624 

63 

3 

198-207 

English 

WOS:A1991FM72000002 

This reseach assayed the toxicity of 50 to 100 chemicals to each of 3 bacterial groups: aerobic heterotrophs, Nitrosomonas, and methanogens. All assays were carried out in sealed serum bottles under similar experimental conditions so that data could be compared among groups. Chemicals tested comprise important environmental pollutants such as chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons and halogenated and other substituted benzenes and phenols. Toxicity data were obtained from the literature for fathead minnows and for the Microtox test for comparison with our bacterial data. Aerobic heterotrophs and methanogens showed similar sensitivities to toxicants, with the exception of an enhanced susceptibility of methanogens to chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated alcohols. Nitrosomonas, Microtox, and the fathead minnow showed similar sensitivities as one another, which were significantly greater (one order of magnitude) than the sensitivities of the aerobic heterotrophs an 

aerobic heterotrophs; assays; fathead minnow; halogenated organics; methanogens; microtox; nitrosomonas; toxicity