Toxicity assessment of mono-substituted benzenes and phenols using a Pseudomonas initial oxygen uptake assay.

A methodology is presented for assessing the toxicity of chemical substances through their inhibitory action toward the Pseudomonas initial oxygen uptake (PIOU) rate. The current studies reveal that the PIOU assay is rapid, cost-efficient, and easy to perform. The oxygen uptake rate was found to be associated with a putative benzoate transporter and highly dependent on benzoate concentration.