Development of an automated bacterial luminescence test for biomonitoring of environmental contaminants

The development of the bacterial luminescence test to an automated biomonitor is described. The computer controlled system was optimized by varying the following parameters: intermixture of the analyte solution and bacteria suspension, intensity and period of stirring during intermixure, delay time for temperature equalization, long-time stability of the bacteria and evaluation of the measured signals. All measurements were carried out using organic and inorganic pollutants, e.g. formaldehyde, phenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, cyanide and lead ions. Five-minute inhibition curves from a number of single runs are presented.