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Evaluation of the Sub-lethal Toxicity of Bleached Kraft Pulp Mill Effluent to Carassius auratus and Dicentrarchus labrax

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Abstract

The effluents from bleached Kraft pulp mill (BKME) and paper industry are toxic to different aquatic organisms being an important source of contamination to aquatic environments due to the presence of several chemicals produced during the production of Kraft pulp. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the exposure effects of a secondary-treated BKME in two different species of fish: Carassius auratus and Dicentrarchus labrax. Both species were exposed to different concentrations of secondary-treated effluent (1%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%) in semi-static tests under controlled laboratory conditions. At the end of the experimental period (21 days), samples of livers were collected for CYP1A determination and histopathological evaluation. The results show significant changes (p < 0.05) of CYP1A induction in carp exposed to 50% and in sea bass exposed to 25% of the effluent. Histopathological alterations were also observed according to the different concentrations of the tested effluent suggesting that tested BKME cause damage to exposed organisms.

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Notes

  1. http://www.unece.org/env/lrtap/pops_h1.htm, available on 19 July 2009.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been developed under the scope of the FCT (Portugal) funded research project, POCT/CTA/45030/2002: “Decolourisation of effluents from pulp and paper mills: removal of organic compounds and toxicity (DECORTOX)”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Centro de Química Fina e Biotecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal

    Mário S. Diniz

  2. CESAM & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Ruth Pereira

  3. ISEIT/Viseu, Instituto Piaget, Estrada do Alto do Gaio, Galifonge, 3515-776, Lordosa, Viseu, Portugal

    Ana C. Freitas & Teresa A. P. Rocha-Santos

  4. Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    Luisa Castro & Isabel Peres

  5. CESAM & Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Armando C. Duarte

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  1. Mário S. Diniz
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  2. Ruth Pereira
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  3. Ana C. Freitas
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Correspondence to Mário S. Diniz.

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Diniz, M.S., Pereira, R., Freitas, A.C. et al. Evaluation of the Sub-lethal Toxicity of Bleached Kraft Pulp Mill Effluent to Carassius auratus and Dicentrarchus labrax . Water Air Soil Pollut 217, 35–45 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0565-z

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