Various bioassays have been developed to assess the effects of chemicals and effluents on aquatic biota. Effluent regulations using the bioassays have been implemented in many countries mainly in Europe and North America, lead by pulp and paper industries. Great improvement has been made in acute and short-term effects of mill effluents following the process changes including installation of secondary treatment. Regulatory and research attentions will focus on long-term outcome of effluents

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... regard to the preservation of ecosystem and biodiversity. In this seminar, international trends in effluent regulations and bioassay tools are discussed. Research activities at Japan Pulp & Paper Research Institute, particularly DNA microarray and biosensor, will also be described.