Abstract: | Cellulose and paper mill effluent is known to affect freshwater biota in various ways. However, its effects on the food chains of aquatic ecosystems from our country have not been examined. The study examined circulating sex steroids, highly carboxylated porphyrins (HCPs), activity of the mixed function oxygenase enzyme 7-etoxyresorufin-O-deeihylase (EROD), the liver somatic index in insectivorous birds at sites located located upstream and downstream from two pulp mills in Romania during 1997-1999, in general, physiological biomarkers in birds located downstream from the paper mill effluents didn`t differ from those at upstream sites suggesting that dietary exposure to this effluents at these sites werw insufficient to elicit responses. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that 17ß-oestradiol was lower in incubating females at a site downstream from one of the pulp mills in 1 of 2 years. In addition, HCPs in tree swallows downstream from the other pulp mill were elevated significantly. cellulose and paper mills, riveran birds, biomarkers |
