Rapid assessment of effluent toxicities using E. coli as a bioindicator
Both chemical and biological assay techniques are required in order to assess the environmental impact of effluents and set quality criteria for them. Chemical techniques can only be used to determine concentrations of specific known toxicants so that it is possible to miss other toxic substances which could be present. Bacteria satisfy the criteria for indicator organisms. A method involving an agar-diffusion technique to determine the relative toxicities of selected metal-rich effluents is described here. A pure culture of Escherischia coli (NTC 10418) was used in order to avoid anomalous results which can be obtained when mixed cultures are employed because of the different resistance levels of various bacterial species to individual toxicants.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- OSTI ID:
- 5604395
- Journal Information:
- Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States), Vol. 34:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
MONITORING
METALS
TOXICITY
WATER POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
ESCHERICHIA COLI
GROWTH
INHIBITION
BACTERIA
ELEMENTS
MICROORGANISMS
POLLUTION
560302* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Microorganisms- (-1987)