Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

(i.e., with regulations initially targeted on reducing AOX discharges to zero by 2002, andsubsequently amended to be in line with those established in the United States). Datafrom various sources indicate that biological treatment tends to reduce diversity and mass<strong>of</strong> chlorinated compounds in the effluent from bleached kraft pulp mills (Bjorseth et al.1976; McKague 1988; Kringstad and Lindstrom 1984). Janz et al. (2001) also reportedthat the concentrations <strong>of</strong> endocrine disrupting compounds in pulp mill effluent declinedwith secondary treatment. However, the extent to which the changes in pulp productionprocesses, implemented in the 1990s, have reduced releases <strong>of</strong> endocrine disruptingcompounds and/or other contaminants to the environment has not been fully evaluated(Johannessen and Ross 2002). In summary, the substances <strong>of</strong> greatest concern relative tocontamination <strong>of</strong> aquatic habitats by pulp and paper effluents include:• Conventional variables (such as pH, BOD and TSS; Samis et al. 1999);• Nutrients (such as ammonia and phosphorus; Johannessen and Ross 2002);• Major ions (such as chlorides; Hakeem and Bhatnager 2010);• Metals (such as cadmium, copper, and mercury; Hakeem and Bhatnager 2010);• Mono-aromatic hydrocarbons (such as benzene and toluene; Suntio et al.1988);• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; such as parent and alkylated PAHs;Engwall et al. 2009);• Chlorinated phenolics (chlorophenols, chloroguaiacols, and chlorocatechols;Suntio et al. 1988);• Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenz<strong>of</strong>urans (such as2,3,7,8-TCDD; Mah et al. 1989);• Resin acids (abietic acid, neoabietic acid, dehydroabietic acid, palustric acid,levopimaric acid, pimaric acid, and isopimaric acid; Suntio et al. 1988);• Fatty acids (such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, lignoceric acid, oleic acid,linoleic acid, and linolenic acid; Suntio et al. 1988);• Surfactants [such as alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs); Johannessen and Ross2002]; and,• Natural plant hormones (Johannessen and Ross 2002).15