Oxidative stress and bioindicators of reproductive function in pulp and paper mill effluent exposed white sucker.

This study investigates oxidative stress and bioindicators of reproductive function in wild white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) collected from environments receiving pulp and paper mill effluent discharges in northern Ontario. Samples were collected over an eight-year period adjacent to three pulp and paper mills using a variety of processing and bleaching techniques. Fish collected downstream of pulp and paper mills within the Moose River basin exhibited elevated hepatic and gonadal 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), the presence of which is indicative of oxidative stress in these tissues.