Comparison between the effects of the phytosterol β‐Sitosterol and pulp and paper mill effluents on sexually immature rainbow trout

Abstract Smaller gonads, delayed sexual maturity and depression of sex steroids have been reported in fish exposed to pulp and paper mill effluents. β-Sitosterol, a phytosterol present in pulp and paper mill effluents that causes reductions in sex steroid secretion in fish, may contribute to some of these effects. In this study, the effects of 17β-estradiol (E2), β-sitosterol from two sources, and two Canadian bleached mill effluents (BME) on …