TY - JOUR

T1 - The Toxicity of the Quaternary Ammonium Compound Benzalkonium Chloride Alone and in Mixtures with Other Anionic Compounds to Bacteria in Test Systems with Vibrio Fischeri and Pseudomonas Putida

AU - Sütterlin, H.

AU - Alexy, Radka

AU - Kümmerer, Klaus

PY - 2008/10

Y1 - 2008/10

N2 - Mixtures of chemicals are present in the aquatic environment but standard testing methods assess only single compounds. One aspect of this question is the importance of the formation of ionic pairs, for example from quaternary ammonium compounds with organic anions, and the significance of the ionic pairs for bacterial toxicity in the aquatic environment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the toxicity of the cationic quaternary ammonium compound benzalkonium chloride (BAC) against aquatic bacteria in the presence of substances commonly found in wastewater, such as the anionic surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA), sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDS), and benzene sulfonic acid (BSA). The growth inhibition test with Pseudomonas putida and the Vibrio fischeri luminescent inhibition test were used to determine the toxicity of single compounds and compound mixtures. The results found in this study indicate that ion pair formation is of minor significance under the test conditions applied here. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AB - Mixtures of chemicals are present in the aquatic environment but standard testing methods assess only single compounds. One aspect of this question is the importance of the formation of ionic pairs, for example from quaternary ammonium compounds with organic anions, and the significance of the ionic pairs for bacterial toxicity in the aquatic environment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the toxicity of the cationic quaternary ammonium compound benzalkonium chloride (BAC) against aquatic bacteria in the presence of substances commonly found in wastewater, such as the anionic surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA), sodium dodecylsulfonate (SDS), and benzene sulfonic acid (BSA). The growth inhibition test with Pseudomonas putida and the Vibrio fischeri luminescent inhibition test were used to determine the toxicity of single compounds and compound mixtures. The results found in this study indicate that ion pair formation is of minor significance under the test conditions applied here. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KW - Anionic surfactant

KW - Growth inhibition test

KW - Ionic pair

KW - Luminescent inhibition test

KW - Mixture

KW - Ps. putida

KW - Quaternary ammonium compound

KW - V. fischeri

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=50949091714&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/7bd5b720-7e8c-3120-931f-c1a5a7c31d04/

U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2007.12.015

DO - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2007.12.015

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 71

SP - 498

EP - 505

JO - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

JF - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

SN - 0147-6513

IS - 2

ER -