A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE QUEBEC PULP AND PAPER-MILL EFFLUENTS AS AN INSTRUMENT TO DEFINE A STRATEGY FOR ABATEMENT

An extensive characterization of 13 pulp and paper mill effluents was carried out based on continuous 72-hour sampling periods at each mill and measuring more than 120 parameters. The main results confirm that the losses of suspended solids are well controlled but that most of th e effluents were found in the acute toxicity test to be toxic to trout and other organisms. Heavy metals were not found above their limit of detection. The study contributed to better definition of the needs of pollution abatement for these mills.