In Situ Assessments of the Impact of Pulp Mill Effluent on Life-History Variables in Fish

2020 ◽  
pp. 449-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olof Sandström
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Pulp Mill ◽  
Pulp Mill Effluent ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Life History Variables

It’s Of(fish)cial: Pulp Mill Effluent Can Alter Reproductive Cycles of Ontario Fish

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Hovey ◽  
Robert Fillier ◽  
Christopher Heysel ◽  
Laura Lintott ◽  
Andrew Lue
Keyword(s):  
Pulp Mill ◽  
Reproductive Hormones ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sex Characteristics ◽  
Pulp Mill Effluent ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Pulp Mill Effluents ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
The Impact

Pulp and paper mills are of economic importance in Canada, however their effluent waste is being channeled into water bodies and causing a variety of negative effects in aquatic ecosystems. Pulp mill effluents are chemical compounds which are oxygen consuming, persistent, and toxic, and have the capacity to mimic physiological compounds. A review of current literature on pulp mill effluent reveals that these chemicals can mimic the reproductive hormones of fish, thereby having effects on local fish reproductive cycles. These reproductive alterations include decreased steroidogenesis, reduced gonad size, and altered expression of secondary sex characteristics that together can affect the health of wild fish populations. However, there has been considerable variation found in the effects of pulp mill effluent based on chemical composition of the pollutants, and the sex, species, and exposure duration of the affected fish. Biotreatment has been considered as a viable option for reducing the impact of effluent on fish reproduction. We suggest that alterations in reproductive cycles can have downstream effects through trophic cascades which in turn may have widespread effects on community structure. Future research should include analysis of long term consequences on multiple species in affected ecosystems, as well as further study on the use of biotreatment to reduce the impact of effluent.

scholarly journals Reproduction in the Baka pygmies and drop in their fertility with the arrival of alcohol

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (27) ◽  
pp. E6126-E6134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando V. Ramirez Rozzi
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Human Growth ◽  
Fertility Rate ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
Completed Family Size ◽  
Birth Records ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Life History Variables

To understand the diversity of human growth and development from an evolutionary point of view, there is an urgent need to characterize the life-history variables of vanishing forager societies. The small body size of the Baka pygmies is the outcome of a low growth rate during infancy. While the ages at sexual maturity, menarche, and first delivery are similar to those in other populations, fertility aspects are unknown. In the Le Bosquet district in Cameroon, thanks to systematic birth records kept from 1980 onwards, we were able to assign ages to individuals with certainty. This study, based on chronological records and on data collected from 2007 to 2017, presents life-history variables related to fertility and mortality among the Baka pygmies: total fertility rate, age-specific fertility rate, completed family size, reproductive span, age at menopause, and infant and juvenile mortality. The Baka present low infant and juvenile mortality, and their fertility pattern differs from that of other forager societies in the higher age-specific fertility rates found in the two lower age classes. Future studies will need to assess whether this particular pattern and the short interbirth interval are related to highly cooperative childrearing, which in the Baka is associated with slow growth. The fertility rate has fallen drastically since 2011, and this matches the arrival of cheap alcohol in the community. Our data provide a first-hand record of the impact of alcohol on fertility in a hunter-gatherer society which appears to be seriously compromising the survival of the Baka.

Growth of winter wheat irrigated with diluted kraft pulp mill effluent on soils amended with gypsum and wood ash

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 657-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
S J Patterson ◽  
D S Chanasyk ◽  
V S Baron
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Kraft Pulp ◽  
Nutrient Recycling ◽  
Pulp Mill ◽  
Sodium Adsorption Ratio ◽  
Wood Ash ◽  
Pulp Mill Effluent ◽  
Kraft Pulp Mill ◽  
The Impact

Supplementing irrigation water with effluents could reduce the need for potable water for irrigation and promote nutrient recycling, but may require additional amendments to deal with Na. In a growth chamber experiment, winter wheat was seeded into a control soil and to soil amended with either gypsum or wood ash applied at an equivalent rate of 15 dry t ha-1. Wheat was irrigated at a rate of 6 mm d-1 with distilled water (DW), kraft pulp mill effluent (KPME) and waste-activated sludge (WAS), and three KPME/WAS combinations. This included two KPME/WAS combinations diluted with DW to 25 and 50% (KPME/WAS:DW) to evaluate the effect on the nutrient uptake and biomass and the impact on soluble ions in the soil. Effluent applications increased wheat biomass up to 70%, and increases of 97 and 140% were observed in soils amended with gypsum and ash, respectively. Effluent applications increased soluble Na, Ca, and SO4, but only on the gypsum-amended soils, except those irrigated with WAS, had lower sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) than control soils by 0.7 to 3 units. Effluent combinations at the lower dilutions in combination with gypsum could be used to provide supplemental water with moderate increases in electrical conductivity (ECe) and SAR that would still be within tolerable limits of many crops.Key words: Effluent irrigation, electrical conductivity, gypsum, sodium adsorption ratio, wood ash

In situ Quantification of the Impact of Episodic Enhanced Turbulent Events in Large Phytoplankton

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Percy L. Donaghay ◽  
Jan Rines ◽  
James Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
The Impact

Occurrence of Various Off-Flavours in Fish in Finland from 1969 to 1981

1983 ◽  
Vol 15 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Kuusi ◽  
M Suihko
Keyword(s):  
Research Laboratory ◽  
Kraft Pulp ◽  
Pulp Mill ◽  
Northern Pike ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Pulp Mill Effluent ◽  
Technical Research ◽  
Kraft Pulp Mill ◽  
Food Research ◽  
Numerical Scale

Off-flavours in fish were studied from 1969 to 1981 at the Food Research Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland using sensory methods. In all, 1982 samples of 18 species of Finnish fish, most of them suspected of being tainted, were studied. A trained taste panel scoring on a numerical scale of 0-10, where a score of 5 or less was unacceptable, was used. The off-flavours described were oil, kraft pulp mill effluent, sewage (musty), muddy, rancid, and others. Of all these samples, 34.9% were unacceptable. The most common off-flavour was kraft pulp mill effluent, present in 41.2 % of the unacceptable samples. In acceptable fish slight off-flavours were somet imes found. Of the muddy fish, only 35.2 % of the bream and 28.8 % of the northern pike were unacceptable. The panel was able to discriminate between the different off-flavours, but, in some cases, the boundaries were vague.

Characterization of odorous compounds from bleached kraft pulp mill effluent

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 35-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Brownlee ◽  
S. L. Kenefick ◽  
G. A. MacInnis ◽  
S. E. Hrudey
Keyword(s):  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Kraft Pulp ◽  
Pulp Mill ◽  
Dimethyl Disulfide ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Pulp Mill Effluent ◽  
Kraft Pulp Mill ◽  
Bleached Kraft Pulp ◽  
Methyl Phenyl Sulfide ◽  
Library Spectrum

Odour compounds in extracts of bleached kraft pulp mill effluent (BKME) have been characterized by olfactory gas chromatography (OGC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A variety of sulfury odours was detected by OGC in addition to woody and pulp mill-like odours. Three sulfur compounds were identified by comparison of retention times and partial mass spectra with authentic standards: dimethyl disulfide, 3-methylthiophene and thioanisole (methyl phenyl sulfide). Typical concentrations in BKME were 1, 0.05, and 0.5 μg/l, respectively. Their odour intensity is relatively low and they were not detected by OGC. Dimethyl trisulfide was tentatively identified by comparison of its partial mass spectrum with a literature (library) spectrum. Its concentration in BKME was estimated at 0.5-2 μg/l. It corresponded to a skunky odour in the OGC profiles. Efforts to identify another odour peak, eluting just after 3-methylthiophene, with a pronounced alkyl sulfide odour were unsuccessful.

Growth responses of periphyton and chironomids exposed to biologically treated bleached kraft pulp mill effluent

1997 ◽  
Vol 35 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 339-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Dubé ◽  
J. M. Culp
Keyword(s):  
Kraft Pulp ◽  
Pulp Mill ◽  
Pulp Mill Effluent ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Wood Extractives ◽  
Kraft Pulp Mill ◽  
Bleached Kraft Pulp ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
High Concentrations

Experiments were conducted in artificial streams to determine the effects of increasing concentrations of biologically treated bleached kraft pulp mill effluent (BKPME) on periphyton and chironomid growth in the Thompson River, British Columbia. Periphyton growth, as determined by increases in chlorophyll a, was significantly stimulated at all effluent concentrations tested (0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 5.0% and, 10.0%). Chironomid growth (individual weight) was also significantly stimulated at low effluent concentrations (≤1.0%). At higher concentrations (5.0% and 10.0%), chironomid growth was inhibited relative to the 1.0% treatment streams. Increases in growth were attributed to the effects of nutrient and organic enrichment from BKPME. The effluent contained high concentrations of phosphorus and appears to be an important source of carbon for benthic insects grazing on the biofilm. In high concentration effluent streams, chironomid growth decreased despite low levels of typical pulp mill contaminants. This suggests that other compounds in the effluent, such as wood extractives, may be inhibiting chironomid growth. These results support findings of field monitoring studies conducted in the Thompson River where changes in periphyton and chironomid abundance occurred downstream of the bleached kraft pulp mill.

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