Accumulation of selenium in aquatic systems downstream of a uranium mining operation in northern Saskatchewan, Canada

Muscatello, Jorgelina R.; Belknap, Andrew M.; Janz, David M.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2008.01.039

Cited by 96 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…muscle, can act as accumulation sites (Ciardullo et al 2008). A similar study found that adult white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) exposed to high waterborne Se levels accumulated 18.5 times of muscle Se concentration and 4.5 times of liver Se concentration compared to the reference site (Muscatello et al 2008).…”

Section: Selenium Is An Essential Element For Fish (Hamilton 2004)mentioning

confidence: 68%

The effects of dietary selenium on growth performances, oxidative stress and tissue selenium concentration of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

Han

Xie

Liu

et al. 2011

Aquaculture Nutrition

122

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Section: Selenium Is An Essential Element For Fish (Hamilton 2004)mentioning

confidence: 68%

The effects of dietary selenium on growth performances, oxidative stress and tissue selenium concentration of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

Han

Xie

Liu

et al. 2011

Aquaculture Nutrition

122

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“…Selenium concentrations in lake water at 5-10 times higher than reference levels were found up to 10 km downstream from uranium mining operations in northern Saskatchewan (Muscatello et al 2008). In a separate study from the same region, Muscatello and Janz (2009) reported selenium concentrations in water of a lake at the outflow of an effluent management system of approximately 20 times above reference levels.…”

Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 88%

“…The release of pollutants and contaminants into surface waters can occur not only at the site of disturbance but can also be transported many kilometres downstream (Culp et al 2003;Muscatello et al 2008;Kelly et al 2010). Individual effects of headwater disturbances can potentially accumulate and affect downstream ecosystems and their services (Townsend et al 2008).…”

Section: Cumulative Effects and Nonlinear Threshold And Tipping Poimentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on water and wetlands in Canada’s boreal zone

et al. 2015

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Industrial development within Canada's boreal zone has increased in recent decades. Forest management activities, pulp and paper operations, electric power generation, mining, conventional oil and gas extraction, nonconventional oil sand development, and peat mining occur throughout the boreal zone with varying impacts on water resources. We review impacts of these industries on surface water, groundwater, and wetlands recognizing that heterogeneity in the dominance of different hydrologic processes (i.e., precipitation, evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge, and runoff generation) across the boreal zone influences the degree of impacts on water resources. Through the application of best management practices, forest certification programs, and science-based guidelines, timber, pulp and paper, and peat industries have reduced their impacts on water resources, although uncertainties remain about long-term recovery following disturbance. Hydroelectric power developments have moved toward reducing reservoir size and creating more natural flow regimes, although impacts of aging infrastructure and dam decommissioning is largely unknown. Mineral and metal mining industries have improved regulation and practices, but the legacy of abandoned mines across the boreal zone still presents an ongoing risk to water resources. Oil and gas industries, including non-conventional resources such as oil sands, is one of the largest industrial users of water and, while significant progress has been made in reducing water use, more work is needed to ensure the protection of water resources. All industries contribute to atmospheric deposition of pollutants that may eventually be released to downstream waters. Although most industrial sectors strive to improve their environmental performance with regards to water resources, disruptions to natural flow regimes and risks of degraded water quality exist at local to regional scales in the boreal zone. Addressing the emerging challenge of managing the expanding, intensifying, and cumulative effects of industries in conjunction with other stressors, such as climate change and atmospheric pollution, across the landscape will aid in preserving Canada's rich endowment of water resources.Key words: natural resources, development, hydrology, biogeochemistry, cumulative effects, water quality, water quantity. Résumé :Le développement industriel dans la zone boréale canadienne s'est accru au cours des récentes décades. Les activités en aménagement forestier, les opérations dans les pâtes et papiers, la génération de pouvoir électrique, les mines, l'extraction de l'huile et du gaz conventionnel, le développement non conventionnel des sables bitumineux ainsi que le prélèvement de la tourbe s'effectuent sur l'ensemble de la zone boréale avec divers impacts sur les ressources hydriques. Les auteurs passent en revue les impacts de ces industries sur l'eau de surface, l'eau souterraine et les terrains humides, tout en reconnaissant que l'hétérogénéité de la dominance des différents processus ...

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“…Selenium is also known to bioaccumulate within the base of the food chain and then biomagnify to elevated concentrations that can be toxic to birds, fi sh, and mammals (Dungan and Frankenberger, 1999;Muscatello et al, 2008). Humans, for example, need between 30 and 85 μg d −1 of Se, while chronic toxicity ensues for intakes of 400 μg d −1 (Lenz and Lens, 2009).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil‐Aggregate‐Scale Heterogeneity in Microbial Selenium Reduction

Kausch

et al. 2012

Vadose Zone Journal

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Given the role of Se as both an environmental contaminant and a micronutrient, the microbial reduction and subsequent sequestration of bioavailable Se in soils are of great ecological interest. Primary particles in surface soils are typically bound into loosely packed, microporous aggregates, which may be critical spatial units in determining the fate of Se in soils. Surrounded by macropores where preferential flow rapidly advects dissolved compounds, soil aggregates are domains of slow diffusive transport where spatial variations in chemical concentrations and biogeochemical reactions can prevail. We conducted a series of controlled flow‐through experiments utilizing three‐dimensional, artificial soil aggregates (2.5‐cm i.d.) surrounded by a macropore. Aggregates were composed of either quartz sand or ferrihydrite‐coated sand inoculated with one of two Se‐reducing bacteria (Thauera selenatis or Enterobacter cloacae SLD1a‐1). Selenite export rates varied between 0.02 ± 0.01 and 3.4 ± 0.2 nmol h−1 g−1 as a function of aeration condition and input solution composition (higher SeO42− or C‐source concentrations led to higher SeO32− export). Oxic input conditions significantly decreased Se reduction; however, the detection of SeO32− in effluent samples indicates the occurrence of anoxic microzones within aggregates. Furthermore, we found that solid‐phase concentrations of reduced Se increased toward the core of aggregates and are estimated to at least double within the first millimeter into the aggregate under all conditions investigated. This indicates that concentrations of reduced Se may generally be expected to increase with distance from the advection boundary (macropore) inside aggregates, which would imply that soils with larger aggregates retain more Se.

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Accumulation of selenium in aquatic systems downstream of a uranium mining operation in northern Saskatchewan, Canada

Cited by 96 publications

References 25 publications

The effects of dietary selenium on growth performances, oxidative stress and tissue selenium concentration of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

The effects of dietary selenium on growth performances, oxidative stress and tissue selenium concentration of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on water and wetlands in Canada’s boreal zone

Soil‐Aggregate‐Scale Heterogeneity in Microbial Selenium Reduction

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