STEROIDAL METABOLITES IN CHILEAN RIVER SEDIMENTS INFLUENCED BY PULP MILL EFFLUENTS

The Biobio River basin (central south of Chile) is highly impacted by a variety of anthropogenic activities such as pulp mills subjected to different treatment processes. The cellulose production has notoriously increased in the Biobio Region in the last years reaching more that 80% of country production. This industrial activity concentrates its production using as raw material fast growing vegetal species like radiata pine (Pinus radiata) and eucaliptus (Eucalyptus globulus). Environmental effects of this massive cellulose production is widely known in countries with major production, but is less addressed in Chile. In this study we report the presence and concentrations of steroidal metabolites, such as sitosterol, campesterol and androstenedione in sediments at the Biobio River basin, considering the Laja, Biobio and Vergara rivers, in points where effluents of cellulose are dumped. Also was detected the presence of coprostanol, which is of human origin.