Use of partition coefficients to predict mixture toxicity.

By using the C(18)-Empore disks/water partition coefficient (K(MD)) to describe the toxicity of 50 mixed halogenated benzenes to Photobacterium phosphoreum, an approach is proposed in this study. Application of the approach to the 15 other related mixtures prove the predictive capability of this K(MD)-based approach, due to the consistency between the predicted toxicity and the observed ones with r(2)=0.929, SE=0.104, F=169.513 at P<0.001. Further analysis of this approach finds that, for the mixtures, although the toxicity is highly correlated with their hydrophobicity, this correlation is free from the range difference of the hydrophobicity, the ratio or the number of the individual chemicals. These analysis results suggest that this K(MD)-based approach is able to predict the toxicity of mixture pollutants in wastewater.