Evidence of low toxicity of oil sands process-affected water to birds invites re-evaluation of avian protection strategies

Beck, Elizabeth M.; Smits, Judit E. G.; Clair, Colleen Cassady St.

doi:10.1093/conphys/cov038

Cited by 13 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 73 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Finally, a study of wild tree swallows showed inconsistent differences in clutch mass across six reclaimed wetlands varying in tailings exposure (Smits et al 2000). Overall, research on bird populations is likely to have important ecological implications, since the region is under a major continental waterfowl flyway (Beck et al 2015). Nevertheless, from these studies there is insufficient documentation linking bird Biomass to Tailings Contamination for it to serve as a rigorous indicator of oil sands activity or a proxy for overall wetland integrity.…”

Section: Bird Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers, pressures, and state responses to inform long-term oil sands wetland monitoring program objectives

Ficken

Connor

Rooney

et al. 2021

Wetlands Ecol Manage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Boreal peatlands provide numerous ecosystem services ranging from carbon sequestration to the provisioning of habitat for species integral to Indigenous communities. In the Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada, human development related to oil and gas extraction occurs in a wetland-dominated landscape. Wetland monitoring programs can determine the extent to which development impacts wetlands, but existing monitoring programs focus on characterizing biodiversity across the region and on compliance and regulatory monitoring that assumes impacts from oil sands development do not extend past lease boundaries. This is unlikely to be true since some impacts, such as particulate deposition, can extend over large areas contingent on local weather and topography. To inform the development of a new regional wetland monitoring program to assess the cumulative effects of oil sands development on wetlands, we synthesized information on the scope of wetland research across the Oil Sands Region, including the anthropogenic stressors that impact wetlands and the wetland characteristics sensitive to different disturbances. We developed a conceptual model linking human development with wetland ecology in the region to make explicit the relationships among oil sands development stressors and different components of wetland ecosystems. By highlighting testable relationships, this conceptual model can be used as a collection of hypotheses to identify knowledge gaps and to guide future research priorities. relationships among We found that the majority of studies are short-term (77% were ≤ 5 years) and are conducted over a limited spatial extent (82% were sub-regional). Studies of reclaimed wetlands were relatively common (18% of all tests); disproportionate to the occurrence of this wetland type. Results from these studies likely cannot be extrapolated to other wetlands in the region. Nevertheless, the impacts of tailings contaminants, wetland reclamation activities, and surface water chemistry are well-represented in the literature. Research on other types of land disturbance is lacking. A coordinated, regional monitoring program is needed to gain a complete understanding of the direct and indirect impacts of human development in the region and to address remaining knowledge gaps.

show abstract

Section: Bird Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers, pressures, and state responses to inform long-term oil sands wetland monitoring program objectives

Ficken

Connor

Rooney

et al. 2021

Wetlands Ecol Manage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Over the past five decades, the province of Alberta has witnessed growing industrial development owing to the discovery and exploitation of the oil sands in the 1970s, which was accompanied by rapid population growth. Naturally, concerns have been raised about the adverse impact of industrial pollution sources on planetary health such as the health of ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural landscapes in which people live [16]. Human beings have a complex connection and dependency on the health of the ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industrial Developmental Toxicants and Congenital Heart Disease in Urban and Rural Alberta, Canada

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The etiology of congenital heart defects (CHD) is not known for many affected patients. In the present study, we examined the association between industrial emissions and CHD in urban and rural Alberta. We acquired the emissions data reported in the Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory (n = 18) and identified CHD patients born in Alberta from 2003-2010 (n = 2413). We identified three groups of emissions after principal component analysis: Groups 1, 2, and 3. The distribution of exposure to the postal codes with births was determined using an inverse distance weighted approach. Poisson or negative binomial regression models helped estimate associations (relative risk (RR), 95% Confidence Intervals (CI)) adjusted for socioeconomic status and two criteria pollutants: nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter with a mean aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 micrometers. The adjusted RR in urban settings was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.5, 2.3) for Group 1 and 1.4 (95% CI: 1.3, 1.6) for both Groups 2 and 3. In rural postal codes, Groups 1 and 3 emissions had a RR of 2.6 (95% CI: 1.03, 7). Associations were only observed in postal codes with the highest levels of emissions and maps demonstrated that regions with very high exposures were sparse.

show abstract

A Critical Review of Bioaccumulation and Biotransformation of Organic Chemicals in Birds

Kuo

Rattner

Marteinson

et al. 2022

Reviews Env.Contamination (formerly:Residue Reviews)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A literature review of bioaccumulation and biotransformation of organic chemicals in birds was undertaken, aiming to support scoping and prioritization of future research. The objectives were to characterize available bioaccumulation/biotransformation data, identify knowledge gaps, determine how extant data can be used, and explore the strategy and steps forward. An intermediate approach balanced between expediency and rigor was taken given the vastness of the literature. Following a critical review of > 500 peer-reviewed studies, > 25,000 data entries and 2 million information bytes were compiled on > 700 organic compounds for ~ 320 wild species and 60 domestic breeds of birds. These data were organized into themed databases on bioaccumulation and biotransformation, field survey, microsomal enzyme activity, metabolic pathway, and bird taxonomy and diet. Significant data gaps were identified in all databases at multiple levels. Biotransformation characterization was largely fragmented over metabolite/pathway identification and characterization of enzyme activity or biotransformation kinetics. Limited biotransformation kinetic data constrained development of an avian biotransformation model. A substantial shortage of in vivo biotransformation kinetics has been observed as most reported rate constants were derived in vitro. No metric comprehensively captured all key contaminant classes or chemical groups to support broad-scope modeling of bioaccumulation or biotransformation. However, metrics such as biota-feed accumulation factor, maximum transfer factor, and total elimination rate constant were more readily usable for modeling or benchmarking than other reviewed parameters. Analysis demonstrated the lack of bioaccumulation/biotransformation characterization of shorebirds, seabirds, and raptors. In the study of bioaccumulation and biotransformation of organic chemicals in birds, this review revealed the need for greater chemical and avian species diversity, chemical measurements in environmental media, basic biometrics and exposure conditions, multiple tissues/matrices sampling, and further exploration on biotransformation. Limitations of classical bioaccumulation metrics and current research strategies used in bird studies were also discussed. Forward-looking research strategies were proposed: adopting a chemical roadmap for future investigations, integrating existing biomonitoring data, gap-filling with non-testing approaches, improving data reporting practices, expanding field sampling scopes, bridging existing models and theories, exploring biotransformation via avian genomics, and establishing an online data repository.

show abstract

Evidence of low toxicity of oil sands process-affected water to birds invites re-evaluation of avian protection strategies

Cited by 13 publications

References 73 publications

Drivers, pressures, and state responses to inform long-term oil sands wetland monitoring program objectives

Drivers, pressures, and state responses to inform long-term oil sands wetland monitoring program objectives

Industrial Developmental Toxicants and Congenital Heart Disease in Urban and Rural Alberta, Canada

A Critical Review of Bioaccumulation and Biotransformation of Organic Chemicals in Birds

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About