Environmental impact assessment: looking at sediments in Nootka Sound for traces of pulp mill effluent

Senior thesis written for Oceanography 445

[author abstract] The production of pulp, a paper product, involves a combination of chemical washes and combustion processes that are known sources of many persistent organic pollutants that can bio-accumulate in the environment with deadly effects. This paper investigates sediments collected from Nootka Sound, BC for traces of pulp mill effluent, specifically 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzofuran, potentially deposited there from a pulp mill that operated in the area from 1964-1998. 1.305ng/g of dioxins were detected at one depth in sediment that likely settled in 1988. Despite the positive detection of dioxins during a time the mill was in operation, further sediment analysis was not possible due to a high quantity of hydrocarbons, that restricted the remaining samples from complete analysis. Further investigation into these sediments requires a more reliable method to consistently analyze samples, but is warranted by the alarming amounts detected.

University of Washington School of Oceanography