Published Paper Details:

The study indicated that the surrounding area of Jayashree Chemicals Pvt. Limited, Ganjam, Orissa a caustic soda plant released huge amount of mercury into the environment in the past 4-5 decades. Evaporated mercury from the Mercury cell house contaminated the surrounding biota leading to elevated mercury levels beyond prescribed limit was the major concern during analysis period. The effluent of a chlor-alkali industry (M/S Jayashree chemicals Pvt. Ltd., Ganjam) showed significant variation and difference in action at different concentrations is clearly evident from tables and figures explained in the result chapter. The highest concentration (concentration Z, 3.8% Effluent) showed typical mercurial toxic symptoms, beyond which survival of the alga became extremely difficult and at times, impossible under laboratory controlled conditions. The alga, Westiellopsis prolifica, Janet is more tolerant and less sensitive to toxicants. The analysis of variance ratio tests and correlation coefficient analysis carried out for all parameters studied indicate clearly that the toxicant, effluent containing mercury, is extremely toxic to blue-green alga. At higher concentration, all most all the growth parameters studied showed declining trend in exposed cultures, when compared to control cultures. At lower concentration of effluent (0.45% effluent), all the growth parameters showed an increasing trend in the exposed culture, when compared to control culture. Hence, it can be concluded that the toxicant (mercury contained) showed dichotomous behavior. At lower concentrations, the toxicant is growth regulatory and at higher concentration, the toxicant is growth inhibitory. The observed changes in the exposed cultures when compared to control cultures were only due to the toxicant, effluent. Hence, it can be concluded that the damage caused in the exposed system, at higher concentration, was only due to the toxicant and most important component of the effluent being mercury. Care should be taken to treat the effluent before discharge in to natural environments.