Toxicity Assessment of Fe-Mn-Al Ternary Alloys Using a Probit Dose-Response Model and an Augmented Simplex Design

Abstract

This study establishes a toxicity assessment of the mixture of Fe³⁺, Mn²⁺, and Al³⁺ ions by employing a Probit dose-response model and an augmented simplex design. The toxicity of individual Fe³⁺, Mn²⁺, and Al³⁺ metal ions with respect to Escherichia coli DH5α is in the order of Mn²⁺ > Fe³⁺ > Al³⁺. The mixture of Fe³⁺, Mn²⁺, and Al³⁺ ions shows a hump region and a saddle region in the IC₅₀ values contour plot. Fe-Mn-Al ternary alloys may possess a lower toxic risk when the ratio of released metal ions approaches the hump region of the contour plot. Fe-Mn-Al ternary alloys may present an increased toxic risk when the ratio of released metal ions gets close to the saddle regions of the contour plot.