Survey of receiving-water environmental impacts associated with discharges from pulp mills; 3: Polychlorinated dioxins and furans in muscle and liver of white sucker (Catostomus commersoni)

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1897/1552-8618(1994)13[1103:SOREIA]2.0.CO;2· OSTI ID:7273442

Servos, M R; Huestis, S Y; Whittle, D M; Munkittrick, K R ^[1]; Van Der Kraak, G J ^[2]

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1. Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Burlington, Ontario (Canada). Great Lakes Lab. for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
2. Univ. of Guelph, Ontario (Canada). Dept. of Zoology

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were measured in white sucker liver samples from seven pulp and paper mill sites, and three reference sites in Ontario. The mills included five bleached-kraft mills, with and without secondary treatment, and two sulfite-mechanical mills. 2,3,7,8-T[sub 4]CDD and 2,3,7,8-T[sub 4]CDF were the dominant congeners detected in both liver and fillet samples at all of the pulp and paper mill sites, with mean 2,3,7,8-T[sub 4]CDD toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQs) as high as 124 pg g[sup [minus]1] in liver tissue. concentrations of PCDDs/PCDFs in liver tissues were severalfold higher than in fillet tissue, but this difference can be accounted for by lipid normalization. Biological information, including liver weight, gonad weight, MFO activity (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, EROD), and plasma sex steroids, was measured on individual fish. There was no relationship between TEQs and condition factor, gonadosomatic index, liver somatic index, or circulating plasma 11-ketotestosterone. A weak negative correlation was observed between circulating plasma testosterone and TEQs. Although there was a positive correlation between MFO activity (EROD) and TEQ, one site with very low chlorine used and low TEQs and EROD activity similar to levels observed at more contaminated sites. This finding, along with recent observations that MFO activity is rapidly cleared in pulp-mill-exposed fish, casts doubt on an exclusive causal relationship between MFO activity and PCDDs/PCDFs in these sites.

• OSTI ID: 7273442
• Journal Information: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States) Vol. 13:7; ISSN 0730-7268; ISSN ETOCDK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
CANADA
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
CHEMICAL WASTES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DIOXIN
DISTRIBUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENZYMES
FISHES
FURANS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRY
METABOLISM
NONRADIOACTIVE WASTES
NORTH AMERICA
ONTARIO
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDOREDUCTASES
POLLUTION
PROTEINS
SENSITIVITY
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES
WASTES
WATER POLLUTION
WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY