Kraft mill effluent survey: Progress toward best management practices for reducing effects on fish reproduction

Abstract

Pulp and paper mill effluents have been linked to effects on fish reproduction for more than 25 years. To date, the causes of these effects and remedial strategies have eluded investigators. Recent work has shown that the degree of reproductive effect caused by a mill effluent is related to the overall organic content. If verified, this could lead to breakthroughs for best management practices (BMPs). For this study, the effluents from seven kraft mills were assessed for their ability to reduce egg production in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) in the laboratory. At the same time, the effluents were analyzed for three parameters thought to be good indicators of organic losses: biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), methyl-substituted 2-cyclopentenones (cellulose degradation products), and a gas chromatographic (GC) profile index, which integrates the total area of the chromatographic peaks of solvent-extracted effluents using low-resolution mass spectrometry. The results showed that the degree to which the effluents reduced egg production increased with increased organic losses as characterized by BOD and the GC profile index. Therefore, these parameters could be used to guide BMPs at kraft mills according to specific targets: BOD < 20 mg/L and GC profile index equivalent to effluent with BOD of 20 mg/L. Such targets should be achievable by good in-plant control of organic losses and optimized effluent biotreatment systems.

Evaluating the potential of effluent extracts from pulp and paper mills in Canada, Brazil, and New Zealand to affect fish reproduction: Estrogenic effects in fish

“…This lack of observed estrogenic effects differs from recent studies using in situ exposures and previous studies using similar intraperitoneal injections of SPE extracted effluents where not only estrogenic effects were prevalent but also the presence of compounds capable of inducing androgen aromatization enzymes leading to a final estrogenic effect was established . The reasons for these discrepancies are unclear and need to be understood to formulate best management practices for mills that result in effluents that have minimal or no effect on fish reproduction.…”

Genotoxicity and toxicity evaluations of ECF cellulose bleaching effluents using the Allium cepa L. Test

“…These molecules, called endocrine disruptors, have been detected in effluents from the cellulose industry Wang et al, 2008;Kovacs et al, 2011). Since these molecules have a chemical structure similar to steroid molecules, they can cause exaggerated growth of immature oocytes of native fish and other aquatic organisms, and alter their reproductive performance.…”

Linking mechanistic toxicology to population models in forecasting recovery from chemical stress: A case study from Jackfish Bay, Ontario, Canada

“…Continued investigation into the identities, origins, and environmental fate of these substances and the efficacy of effluent treatment is needed to determine the significance of and relationship to the existing impacts of pulp and paper mill effluents in aquatic ecosystems [54][55][56][57].…”