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Development of aquatic plant bioassays for rapid screening and interpretive risk assessments of metal mining liquid waste waters

Abstract

The use of non-photosynthetic organisms alone to describe environmental impact has been recognized by regulatory agencies, industry and academia as being totally inadequate both in Europe and North America. Lack of adequate testing methods for photosynthetic aquatic organisms has been recognized as a major impediment to the successful regulation and safe use of pesticides and waste water discharges and is of even more concern to the metal mining industry due to the non-biodegradable nature of its waste streams. This work shows that the chemical effluent limits set in the `Metal mining liquid effluent regulations and guidelines` provide variable protection of aquatic photosynthetic organisms and aquatic effects of the more toxic metals (e.g., copper, nickel, and zinc) may occur at levels that are one to two orders of magnitude lower than present limits. To establish adequate protection of receiving water bodies it may be necessary to establish site-specific criteria taking into consideration toxicity modifying factors of individual sites. If the establishment of such criteria is determined with a host of ecologically relevant organisms, it will be possible to design effective environmental protection at the least possible cost. (author). 17 refs., 2 tabs.
Authors:
Peterson, H G; [1]  Nyholm, N; [2]  Huang, P M [3] 
  1. Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon, SK (Canada)
  2. Technical Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark). Lab. of Environmental Science and Ecology
  3. Saskatchewan Univ., Saskatoon (Canada). Saskatchewan Inst. of Pedology
Publication Date:
Dec 31, 1995
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
INIS-CA-0053; CONF-950623-
Reference Number:
SCA: 053003; PA: AIX-28:073840; EDB-97:143406; SN: 97001879255
Resource Relation:
Conference: 35. annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association and 16th annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society, Saskatoon (Canada), 4-7 Jun 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of CNS proceedings of the 16. annual conference, volume I and II; Wight, A.L.; Loewer, R. [eds.]; PB: [2 v. ] p.
Subject:
05 NUCLEAR FUELS; ALGAE; WASTE WATER; AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS; ARSENIC; COPPER; LEAD; LILIOPSIDA; MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE CONCENTRATION; MINING; NICKEL; PHOTOSYNTHESIS; RADIUM 226; TESTING; TOXICITY; ZINC
OSTI ID:
545793
Research Organizations:
Canadian Nuclear Society, Toronto, ON (Canada)
Country of Origin:
Canada
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ON: DE98603788; TRN: CA9700803073840
Availability:
INIS; OSTI as DE98603788
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
pp. [8]
Announcement Date:
Dec 10, 1997

Citation Formats

Peterson, H G, Nyholm, N, and Huang, P M. Development of aquatic plant bioassays for rapid screening and interpretive risk assessments of metal mining liquid waste waters. Canada: N. p., 1995. Web.
Peterson, H G, Nyholm, N, & Huang, P M. Development of aquatic plant bioassays for rapid screening and interpretive risk assessments of metal mining liquid waste waters. Canada.
Peterson, H G, Nyholm, N, and Huang, P M. 1995. "Development of aquatic plant bioassays for rapid screening and interpretive risk assessments of metal mining liquid waste waters." Canada.
@misc{etde_545793,
title = {Development of aquatic plant bioassays for rapid screening and interpretive risk assessments of metal mining liquid waste waters}
author = {Peterson, H G, Nyholm, N, and Huang, P M}
abstractNote = {The use of non-photosynthetic organisms alone to describe environmental impact has been recognized by regulatory agencies, industry and academia as being totally inadequate both in Europe and North America. Lack of adequate testing methods for photosynthetic aquatic organisms has been recognized as a major impediment to the successful regulation and safe use of pesticides and waste water discharges and is of even more concern to the metal mining industry due to the non-biodegradable nature of its waste streams. This work shows that the chemical effluent limits set in the `Metal mining liquid effluent regulations and guidelines` provide variable protection of aquatic photosynthetic organisms and aquatic effects of the more toxic metals (e.g., copper, nickel, and zinc) may occur at levels that are one to two orders of magnitude lower than present limits. To establish adequate protection of receiving water bodies it may be necessary to establish site-specific criteria taking into consideration toxicity modifying factors of individual sites. If the establishment of such criteria is determined with a host of ecologically relevant organisms, it will be possible to design effective environmental protection at the least possible cost. (author). 17 refs., 2 tabs.}
place = {Canada}
year = {1995}
month = {Dec}
}