The toxicity of substituted phenols in the nitrification inhibition test and luminescent bacteria test.

The nitrification inhibition test and the luminescent bacteria test were used to determine the inhibiting effect of different phenolic compounds. The chlorinated phenols demonstrated an increased toxicity in the nitrification inhibition test, which was much more sensitive to these compounds than other bacterial toxicity tests. In practice, the nitrification inhibition test was very useful for estimating the toxicity of chemical compounds to nitrifying bacteria, but the test is not recommended for the assessment of general bacterial toxicity. In comparison to other bacterial toxicity tests, the luminescent bacteria test also proved to be very sensitive. Due to its character, which measures a certain physiological parameter, this test system could be used as a screening tool for possible inhibitory effects to bacteria, although positive results should be confirmed by other bacterial toxicity tests.