Relationships of quantitative structure-activity to comparative toxicity of selected phenols in the Pimephales promelas and Tetrahymena pyriformis test systems.

The relative toxic response of 27 selected phenols in the 96-hr acute flowthrough Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow) and the 48- to 60-hr chronic static Tetrahymena pyriformis (ciliate protozoan) test systems was evaluated. Log Kow-dependent linear regression analyses revealed that the data from each test system consisted of two linear equations. The less toxic chemicals form a relationship which models polar narcosis; these chemicals are slightly more active than the baseline toxicity of nonionic narcotic chemicals. The more toxic chemicals form a relationship which models uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. Regression analysis of fathead minnow toxicity (log LC50 (mol/liter] vs Tetrahymena toxicity (log BR (mmol/liter] showed good correlation between the two systems. An exception appears to be 4-nitrophenol, which is more active in the Tetrahymena system than in the fathead minnow and lies outside the 95% confidence interval. Reanalysis following deletion of 4-nitrophenol results in the equation log LC50 = -0.9192 (log BR) -3.5035; n = 26, r2 = 0.887.