Century-Long Source Apportionment of PAHs in Athabasca Oil Sands Region Lakes Using Diagnostic Ratios and Compound-Specific Carbon Isotope Signatures

Jautzy, Josué; Ahad, Jason M. E.; Gobeil, Charles; Savard, Martine M.

doi:10.1021/es400642e

Cited by 104 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…There was no indication of increased toxicity to Daphnia in the fossil record (at least to date), likely due to the greater influence of recent climate change on lake primary production of algae (the food resource of Daphnia). Jautzy et al (2013) reported similar conclusions on the extent and source of PAH contamination.…”

Section: Polycyclic Aromatic Compoundssupporting

confidence: 63%

Geoscience of Climate and Energy 12. Water Quality Issues in the Oil Sands Region of the Lower Athabasca River, Alberta

Schindler

2013

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I summarize the controversies about industrial pollutants in freshwaters near the oil sands industrial area of Alberta, the inadequacies in environmental monitoring that have led to widespread misconceptions, and recent attempts to correct the problems. Adequate data are available to show that mercury, other trace metals, and polycyclic aromatic compounds are being added by industry to the Athabasca river system and its watershed, although the relative contributions of industrial development and natural sources remain in question. Recent improvements in water monitoring by Environment Canada show promise of resolving the controversies, although independent governance for Canada’s and Alberta’s water monitoring programs in the lower Athabasca River will be necessary to rebuild public confidence in the data and their interpretation by government and industry. I document one success story in the Athabasca River: the elimination of dioxins from pulp mills in the mid-1990s has caused a consumption advisory for fish in the river to be repealed.SOMMAIREJe présente ci-dessous un résumé des controverses concernant les polluants industriels dans les eaux douces à proximité de la zone industrielle des sables bitumineux de l'Alberta, des lacunes dans la surveillance des milieux de vie à l’origine d’idées fausses répandues, et de récentes tentatives visant à corriger les problèmes. Des données adéquates démontrent que l’industrie ajoute du mercure et d'autres métaux traces ainsi que des composés aromatiques polycycliques dans le système fluvial de la rivière Athabasca et dans son bassin versant, bien que les contributions relatives provenant de ces activités industrielles et de sources naturelles demeurent toujours en litige. De récentes améliorations apportées au contrôle des eaux par Environnement Canada permettent d’espérer une résolution des controverses, mais l’application d’une gouvernance indépendante des programmes de contrôle de l'eau de l'Alberta du Canada dans la partie inférieure du fleuve Athabasca sera nécessaire pour rétablir la confiance de la population à l’égard des données présentées et de leur interprétation par le gouvernement et l'industrie. Je décrie l’histoire d’une intervention réussie dans la rivière Athabasca, soit l'élimination de dioxines provenant des usines de pâte du milieu des années 1990 et qui a abouti à l’abrogation d’un avis de limitation de la consommation de poisson dans la rivière.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2013.40.012

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Section: Polycyclic Aromatic Compoundssupporting

confidence: 63%

Geoscience of Climate and Energy 12. Water Quality Issues in the Oil Sands Region of the Lower Athabasca River, Alberta

Schindler

2013

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“…Sediment ΣPAH 13 concentrations reached 14 μg/g dw in Detroit River, but ranged from 0.25 to 2.0 μg/g in other parts of the Huron-Erie Corridor (Szalinska et al, 2011). In two headwater lakes of the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Canada, ΣPAH 16 concentrations ranged from 100 to 320 ng/g dw throughout the sediment cores (Jautzy et al, 2013). ΣPAH 15 concentrations in Lake Taihu sediments in highly populated eastern China were 209 to 1003 ng/g dw (Zhang et al, 2012).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), nitro-PAHs, and hopane and sterane biomarkers in sediments of southern Lake Michigan, USA

Huang

Chernyak

Batterman

2014

Science of The Total Environment

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PAHs in the Great Lakes basin are of concern due to their toxicity and persistence in bottom sediments. Their nitro derivatives, nitro-PAHs (NPAHs), which can have stronger carcinogenic and mutagenic activity than parent PAHs, may follow similar transport routes and also are accumulated in sediments. Limited information exists regarding the current distribution, trends and loadings of these compounds, especially NPAHs, in Lake Michigan sediments. This study characterizes PAHs, NPAHs, and biomarkers steranes and hopanes in surface sediments collected at 24 offshore sites in southern Lake Michigan. The ΣPAH14 (sum of 14 compounds) ranged from 213 to 1291 ng/g dry weight (dw) across the sites, levels that are 2 to 10 times lower than those reported 20 to 30 years earlier. Compared to consensus-based sediment quality guidelines, PAH concentrations suggest very low risk to benthic organisms. The ΣNPAH5 concentration ranged from 2.9 to 18.6 ng/g dw, and included carcinogenic compounds 1-nitropyrene and 6-nitrochrysene. ΣSterane6 and ΣHopane5 concentrations ranged from 6.2 to 36 and 98 to 355 ng/g dw, respectively. Based on these concentrations, Lake Michigan is approximately receiving 11, 0.16, 0.25 and 3.6 metric tons per year (t/yr) of ΣPAH14, ΣNPAH5, ΣSterane6 and ΣHopane5, respectively. Maps of OC-adjusted concentrations display that concentrations decline with increasing off-shore distance. The major sources of PAHs and NPAHs are pyrogenic in nature, based on diagnostic ratios. Using chemical mass balance models, sources were apportioned to emissions from diesel engines (56±18%), coal power plants (27±14%), coal-tar pavement sealants (16±11%), and coke ovens (7±12%). The biomarkers identify a combination of petrogenic and biogenic sources, with the southern end of the lake more impacted by petroleum. This first report of NPAHs levels in sediments of Lake Michigan reveals several carcinogenic compounds at modest concentrations, and a need for further work to assess potential risks to aquatic organisms.

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“…Some source apportionment and forensic studies have been carried out on sediment and soil contamination and usually target individual congeners. 33,38,41 However, no studies have measured all three classes of PACs in air across a regional scale as in this current study, which provides an opportunity to explore class-based ratios.…”

Section: Environmental Science and Technologymentioning

confidence: 97%

First Results from the Oil Sands Passive Air Monitoring Network for Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds

Schuster

Harner

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Results are reported from an ongoing passive air monitoring study for polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in the Athabasca oil sands region in Alberta, Canada. Polyurethane foam (PUF) disk passive air samplers were deployed for consecutive 2-month periods from November 2010 to June 2012 at 17 sites. Samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkylated PAHs, dibenzothiophene and its alkylated derivatives (DBTs). Relative to parent PAHs, alkylated PAHs and DBTs are enriched in bitumen and therefore considered to be petrogenic markers. Concentrations in air were in the range 0.03-210 ng/m(3), 0.15-230 ng/m(3) and 0.01-61 ng/m(3) for ∑PAHs, ∑alkylated PAHs and ΣDBTs, respectively. An exponential decline of the PAC concentrations in air with distance from mining areas and related petrogenic sources was observed. The most significant exponential declines were for the alkylated PAHs and DBTs and attributed to their association with mining-related emissions and near-source deposition, due to their lower volatility and greater association with depositing particles. Seasonal trends in concentrations in air for PACs were not observed for any of the compound classes. However, a forest fire episode during April to July 2011 resulted in greatly elevated PAH levels at all passive sampling locations. Alkylated PAHs and DBTs were not elevated during the forest fire period, supporting their association with petrogenic sources. Based on the results of this study, an "Athabasca PAC profile" is proposed as a potential source marker for the oil sands region. The profile is characterized by ∑PAHs/∑Alkylated PAHs = ∼0.2 and ∑PAHs/∑DBTs = ∼5.

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Century-Long Source Apportionment of PAHs in Athabasca Oil Sands Region Lakes Using Diagnostic Ratios and Compound-Specific Carbon Isotope Signatures

Cited by 104 publications

References 69 publications

Geoscience of Climate and Energy 12. Water Quality Issues in the Oil Sands Region of the Lower Athabasca River, Alberta

Geoscience of Climate and Energy 12. Water Quality Issues in the Oil Sands Region of the Lower Athabasca River, Alberta

PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), nitro-PAHs, and hopane and sterane biomarkers in sediments of southern Lake Michigan, USA

First Results from the Oil Sands Passive Air Monitoring Network for Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds

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