Chemical, biological, and DNA markers for tracing slaughterhouse effluent

Agricultural practices, if not managed correctly, can have a negative impact on receiving environments via waste disposal and discharge. In this study, a chicken slaughter facility on the rural outskirts of Sydney, Australia, has been identified as a possible source of persistent effluent discharge...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental research 2017-07, Vol.156, p.534-541
Main Authors: Harvey, P.J., Taylor, M.P., Handley, H.K., Foster, S., Gillings, M.R., Asher, A.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abattoirs
AIR POLLUTION
Ammonia - analysis
Animals
ARSENIC
Arsenic - analysis
AUSTRALIA
Chickens
DNA
DNA - analysis
Enterobacteriaceae - isolation & purification
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Environmental regulation
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GENES
Genetic Markers
Integrases - genetics
Integron-integrase gene
Mitochondrial DNA
Nitrogen - analysis
NOISE POLLUTION
Phosphorus - analysis
POLLUTANTS
POLLUTION SOURCES
POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION
SAMPLING
Sewage
STREAMS
UNITED KINGDOM
Urban catchment
WASTE DISPOSAL
Water Pollutants - analysis
WATER POLLUTION
Water Pollution - analysis
WATER QUALITY
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Agricultural practices, if not managed correctly, can have a negative impact on receiving environments via waste disposal and discharge. In this study, a chicken slaughter facility on the rural outskirts of Sydney, Australia, has been identified as a possible source of persistent effluent discharge into a peri-urban catchment. Questions surrounding the facility's environmental management practices go back more than four decades. Despite there having never been a definitive determination of the facility's impact on local stream water quality, the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) has implemented numerous pollution reduction requirements to manage noise and water pollution at the slaughter facility. However, assessment of compliance remains complicated by potential additional sources of pollution in the catchment. To unravel this long-standing conundrum related to water pollution we apply a forensic, multiple lines of evidence approach to delineate the origin of the likely pollution source(s). Water samples collected between 2014 and 2016 from irrigation pipes and a watercourse exiting the slaughter facility had elevated concentrations of ammonia (max: 63,000µg/L), nitrogen (max: 67,000µg/L) and phosphorus (max: 39,000µg/L), which were significantly higher than samples from adjacent streams that did not receive direct runoff from the facility. Arsenic, sometimes utilised in growth promoting compounds, was detected in water discharging from the facility up to ~4 times (max 3.84µg/L) local background values (
ISSN:0013-9351
1096-0953
DOI:10.1016/j.envres.2017.04.006