COMPARATIVE-ASSESSMENT OF THE TOXICITY OF A PAPER-MILL EFFLUENT BY RESPIROMETRY AND A LUMINESCENCE-BASED BACTERIAL ASSAY

Samples were taken from the inlet to, and the outlet from an effluent treatment plant of a papermill in north east Scotland. The concentrati on of a range of inorganic and organic pollutants was determined. The principal contaminants were found to be cadmium and pentachlorophenol. A respirometric and a luminescence based assay were carried out to as sess the bioavailability of pollutants. The luminescence based assay u sing genetically modified (luminescence-marked) terrestrial bacteria w as found to have greater sensitivity and reproducibility than the resp irometric analysis, although both techniques were sensitive to the pre sence of pollutants. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.