ABSTRACT
The majority of potential sources of metal pollution to Australian tropical rivers are from mines and mineral refining operations. Materials that are extracted and refined in northern Australia include uranium, gold, manganese, bauxite, copper, zinc, and lead. During the dry season, large storage capacity must be available to mining and milling operations to ensure sufficient water for the extraction and processing of minerals is available. The complex wastewaters and effluents produced by the mining and ore-processing industry generally involve mixtures of metals found in the ore. The combination of synergistic, antagonistic, and additive effects of chemicals on living organisms, and the changes in concentrations and chemical constituents with time, preclude the prediction of toxicological effects of complex wastewaters on aquatic organisms. The toxicity of mine wastewaters containing mixtures of metals and other chemicals should be initially assessed at the whole-organism level of biological organization.
