(21,22), and ions (6, 10). Accordingly, the loss of K+ has been shown to be one of the first indications of membrane permeability changes under a variety of stresses (5,17,18,20).The net loss of K+ from ozone-treated Chlorella cells suspended in a Tris buffer has been measured using a cation-specific electrode (6). The electrode method measured only the net loss of K+ at a low external K+ concentration. Thus, the effect of ozone upon the K+ influx and efflux could not be studied separately under physiological conditions. The use of Tris as a buffer induces K+ loss itself, thus making the interpretation of K+ loss difficult (7). For influx measurements, I09 cells were added to a total volume of 5 ml of medium in a stirred and temperature-regulated cuvette (38 C). Label ("6RbCl, New England Nuclear) was added prior to cell addition and subsequent gassing. Either oxygen or ozone in oxygen, produced and measured as previously described (6, 11), was introduced into the agitated solution through a 50-,ul micropipette. At specific times, a 200-jul aliquot of the cell suspension was withdrawn, filtered on a Millipore filter (0.45 ,um), and washed with 5 ml of unlabeled medium. The cell sample on the filter was removed to a drying stand, bleached with I drop of Purex, and placed in a toluene-Triton cocktail for scintillation counting (14).Uptake rates were calculated from the amount of 8'Rb present in the cells at various time intervals, based upon the external specific radioactivity of Rb+ and K+.In experiments during which the initial uptake kinetics were examined, l-ml aliquots from a batch of cells (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)