The development of elaborate industrial societies has led to proliferation of a vast number of complex chemicals for industrial, agricultural and domestic use. Some portion of these compounds eventually find their way into municipal and industrial wastewater. Unless specifically removed by waste treatment processes, they ultimately appear in receiving waters and water supplies, thus no longer is it sufficient to remove biochemical oxygen demand to protect the oxygen resource of the receiving water but individual organic compounds become a concern. Knowledge of the toxicity and biodegradability of organic compounds will aid in designing wastewater treatment processes and be useful in elaborating the criteria for safe concentrations of organics in wastewaters discharged to surface waters. This report describes the testing of twelve compounds both for biodegradability and toxicity. The compounds tested were: methylethyl ketone, dimethyl amine, dimethyl foramide, p-nitrophenol, o-chlorophenol, trichlorophenol, 2,2'dichlorodiethyl ether and five fluorescent whitening agents used as components of household detergents. The biodegradation tests performed were respirometric measurements, river model and activated sludge model. Additionally, for some compounds supplementary tests were made for evaluation of their volatility, photolysis and adsorption on activated sludge. The toxicity was measured with use of fish Lebistes reticulatus and crustacean Daphnia magna.

"Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Department of Water Chemistry and Biology, Warsaw, Poland." "December 1979." Includes bibliographical references (pages 94-99). "Grant no. PR-05-532-15."