EN
Our objective was the assessment of algal medium harmfulness for in vitro fibroblasts. The algal medium was from Chlorella cultures (Beijerinck 1890) grown in the presence of benzene, which was added before the inoculation of culture. The medium contained, besides the benzene residues, its various metabolites formed during culture, among them phenol and catechol. Its addition to fibroblast cultures resulted in a decrease in their growth intensity and protein content in fibroblasts as well as an increase in DNA content and 14C-thymidine incorporation intensity to fibroblasts. The latter effect was probably connected with the inhibition of cell-division and DNA damage reparations. The obtained results indicate that Chlorella algae, besides other hydrobionts, take part in the forming of the benzene-like pollution toxicity in water habitat.