Toxicity of Tolyltriazole to Gram-Positive Coccus Microorganisms

Maintaining safe flight operations, military and civilian, in cold weather requires the use of deicing fluids. Glycols, the primary component of deicers, have been extensively studied. Water and additives such as corrosion inhibitors and other performance enhancing chemicals make up the remaining portion of deicing fluids. Little research has been conducted on the additives, but several are suspected toxins to microorganisms, therefore the EPA regulates the disposal of spent de-icing fluids. Tolyltriazole, a corrosion inhibitor found in deicing fluids, is a suspected human carcinogen. It is also known to be moderately toxic to microorganisms based on Microtox results. The purpose of this research was to determine whether tolyltriazole is toxic to isolated and or consortia of common soil microorganisms found in soil samples and cultivated using propylene glycol and yeast extract. The microorganisms were exposed to increasing concentrations of tolyltriazole and the DO uptake rate was calculated.