Organic Contaminant Residues in Fishes from Nipigon Bay, Lake Superior

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Author: Kaiser, Klaus L. E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1977
• Subjects: General Medicine; Bay Lake; Catostomus catostomus; Longnose sucker
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f77-135; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f77-135

Three species of fish, caught at various distances from a kraft pulp and paper mill effluent discharge in Nipigon Bay, were analyzed for organic contaminants. Fishes from all sites contained residues of polychlorinated biphenyls and DDE. Most samples were also contaminated with hexachlorobenzene and several samples contained phthalic acid esters.From sampling sites close to the mill discharge, dehydroabietic acid was observed in one extract of each of the three fish species investigated. Two isomers of tetrachlorobenzene and one trichlorobenzene isomer were identified in a longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus) extract from the vicinity of the mill outfall.