Stressor identification and health assessment of fish exposed to wastewater effluents in Miho Stream, South Korea.
This study evaluated the effects of an industrial wastewater treatment plant (IWTP) and a municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWTP) effluents on a variety of bioindicators ranging from biochemical, organism, and population-level responses in pale chub (Zacco platypus) and fish community structure. The Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) indicated that the site upstream of these wastewater treatment plant discharges is in fair-good condition and downstream of the plant is in poor condition. The EROD (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase) activity, condition factor, and liver somatic index were significantly increased at the downstream site compared to those of the upstream site. The most significant change observed in pale chub population in the downstream site of the Miho Stream, relative to the upstream population, was the total absence of an younger age group. Stressors impacting the downstream site were identified as mostly organic or nutrient enrichment and habitat degradation associated with wastewater treatment plants. The results of causal analysis suggest that the primary causes affecting fish population in the downstream site are through both size-selective mortality caused by ammonia toxicity and recruitment failure caused by habitat degradation and reproduction problem due to an IWTP and MWTP effluents.
Yeom
Dong-Hyuk
DH
Ecotoxicology Team, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon 305-343, Republic of Korea. dhyeom@kitox.re.kr
Lee
Soon-Ae
SA
Kang
Gi Soo
GS
Seo
Jinwon
J
Lee
Sung-Kyu
SK
D000641:Ammonia / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000502:physiology*; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006066:Gonads / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D006262:Health; D007723:Korea; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals / Q000633:toxicity; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D011153:Population; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
D008670:Metals; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D000641:Ammonia; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1