ABSTRACT
Aquatic ecosystems in the vicinity of the smelter have been analyzed throughout this period to monitor the extent of contamination, nature of adverse effects, and effectiveness of pollution controls. In comparing the biochemical and sediment results obtained in 1981 and 1986, the installation of electrostatic precipitators in 1982 appears to have had little or no effect in reducing metal pollution in nearby lakes. Metallothionein (MTN) has been used as an indicator of heavy metal exposure in fish. Reductions in hepatic MTN have been used to demonstrate recovery of metal-stressed fish after metal loadings were reduced in Buttle Lake, British Columbia. The use of biochemical indicators of contaminant-induced stress in natural fish populations is a rapidly developing area in ecotoxicology. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to establish significant relationships between measured biochemical parameters and metal levels in either surficial sediment or fish tissue.
