Bacteria toxic organic compounds

Haider, K., Jagnow, G., Kohnen, R., Lim, S.U. (1981) Degradation of chlorinated benzenes, phenols and cyclohexane derivatives by benzene and phenol utilizing soil bacteria under aerobic conditions. In Decomposition of Toxic and Non-toxic Organic Compounds in Soil. Overcash, V.R., Ed., pp. 207-223, Ann Arbor Sci. Publ., Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

In many cases, a minute amount of carbon monoxide is formed when organic compounds are burned. Even if the amount of the gas is minute, it cannot be ignored as it is very toxic. Some of the bacteria form organic compounds from carbon monoxide. In this chapter, the mechanisms by which bacteria form organic compounds from carbon monoxide will be described. 

People usually think of things like lead, mercury, toxic organic compounds, and bacteria as being major pollutants. However, heat can also be a major pollutant. The solubility of a gas in a liquid decreases as the temperature increases (see Chapter 13 for more about the solubility of gases). This means that warm water doesn t contain as much dissolved oxygen as cool water. And how is this related to pollution The amount of oxygen in water has a direct impact on aquatic life. The reduction of the dissolved oxygen content of water caused by heat is called thermal pollution. 

Potable Water Treatment. Treatment of drinking water accounts for about 24% of the total activated carbon used in Hquid-phase apphcations (74). Rivers, lakes, and groundwater from weUs, the most common drinking water sources, are often contaminated with bacteria, vimses, natural vegetation decay products, halogenated materials, and volatile organic compounds. Normal water disinfection and filtration treatment steps remove or destroy the bulk of these materials (75). However, treatment by activated carbon is an important additional step in many plants to remove toxic and other organic materials (76—78) for safety and palatability. 

Complexation of metals with organic compounds can also increase the toxicity of metals. This is the case with mercury, in which the organo-Hg species, methyl- and dimethylmercury, are fer more toxic than elemental or ionic mercury (Hg (aq)). The enhanced toxicity is caused by the increased tendency of the organo species to be retained, and therefore concentrated within, organisms. As discussed in Chapter 28.6.8, mercury is naturally biomethylated by bacteria under conditions of low pH and low... 

TCE-degrading bacteria is a patented technology for the treatment of soil, groundwater and wastewater contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). The particular strain of bacteria used in this technology does not require the addition of a toxic co-substrate to activate the bacterial destruction of TCE. The technology can be used to remediate virtually any media type contaminated with one or more volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including TCE, and can be used for in situ or ex situ bioremediation. 

The sulfonamides are a group of organic compounds with chemotherapeutic activity they are antimicrobial agents and not antibiotics. They have a common chemical nucleus that is closely related to PABA, an essential component in the folic acid pathway of nucleic acid synthesis. The sulfonamides are synergistic with the diaminopyrim-idines, which inhibit an essential step further along the folate pathway. The combination of a sulfonamide and a diaminopyrimidine is advantageous because it is relatively non-toxic to mammalian cells (less sulfonamide is administered) and is less likely to select for resistant bacteria. Only these so-called potentiated sulfonamides are used in equine medicine. These drugs are formulated in a ratio of one part diaminopyrimidine to five parts sulfonamide, but the optimal antimicrobial ratio at the tissue level is 1 20, which is achieved because the diaminopyrimidines are excreted more rapidly than the sulfonamides. 

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