Page 953 - The Toxicology of Fishes

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Case Study: Pulp and Paper Mill Impacts

Monique G. Dubé, Kelly R. Munkittrick, and L. Mark Hewitt

CONTENTS
Introduction............................................................................................................................................933
The Pulp and Paper Industry .......................................................................................................935
History of PME Effects on Fish ..................................................................................................937
Approaches Used to Assess PME Effects on Fish......................................................................945
Study Design Considerations for Fish.........................................................................................945
Relevance of Other Trophic Levels .............................................................................................946
Indicators for Assessing PME Effects in Fish.............................................................................947
Liver Detoxification Enzymes............................................................................................947
Indicators of Reproductive Function..................................................................................948
Monitoring Approaches................................................................................................................948
Ecological Field Assessments ............................................................................................948
Laboratory Toxicity Tests...................................................................................................949
Artificial Stream (Mesocosm) Studies ...............................................................................951
Caging Studies....................................................................................................................952
Attempts to Identify the Causes of Impacts Associated with PMEs..........................................953
Isolation of Causative Process Streams.......................................................................................953
Characterization and Identification of Causative Compounds....................................................954
Toxicity Identification Evaluation Procedures ...................................................................955
Status of Identification of Responsible Chemicals......................................................................957
Decision Making Relative to Pulp Mill Impacts ..................................................................................957
Conclusions............................................................................................................................................958
References..............................................................................................................................................958

Introduction

Examination of the environmental effects of effluent discharges from pulp and paper mills provides an
interesting case study in fish toxicology (Figure 24.1). The effects of pulp mill effluents (PMEs) on
aquatic environments have been examined for over 40 years, and extensive studies have been conducted
since the mid-1980s. During this period, environmental effects have been observed, regulations have
been implemented, and the industry has responded to these regulations, resulting in significant reductions
in environmental effects. In the 1970s, many effluents received no secondary treatment, and environ-
mental concerns were associated with oxygen demand, suspended solids, and nutrient and organic loading
(Owens, 1991). These concerns shifted in the mid-1980s when a series of Swedish field studies docu-
mented that PMEs induced toxic responses in fish at very low concentrations (Södergren, 1989). Over
the next few years, supporting data were obtained in Canada (Hodson et al., 1992; McMaster et al.,
1991; Munkittrick et al., 1991, 1992a,b; Servos et al., 1992), the United States (Adams et al., 1992),
and New Zealand (Sharples and Evans, 1996; Sharples et al., 1994) confirming that effluent from some

933