Article
Environmental Sciences
Philippe J. Thomas, David C. Eickmeyer, Kristin M. Eccles, Linda E. Kimpe, Emiel Felzel, Abraham Brouwer, Robert J. Letcher, Bruce D. Maclean, Laurie H. M. Chan, Jules M. Blais
Summary: Although the oil and gas industry in Northern Alberta has economic benefits, concerns exist over the impact of increased oil production on the environment and human health. This study linked chemical analysis of sediment cores with biological effect assessments, showing the feasibility of evaluating toxicity in river systems.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yifeng Zhang, William Shotyk, Rick Pelletier, Claudio Zaccone, Tommy Noernberg, Gillian Mullan-Boudreau, Jonathan W. Martin
Summary: With industrial development in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) in northern Alberta, the atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has increased. The main source of PAHs to moss in the region is the deposition of particles from the atmosphere. PAH concentrations in the near-field AOSR sites were significantly higher than those in the far-field AOSR sites or reference sites in Alberta. The major sources of PAHs in the AOSR were estimated to be delayed petcoke and fine tailings. Dust control measures should be considered to protect human and environmental health, especially in the northern quadrant of the AOSR.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Moritz Lucas, Antara Dasgupta, Bjoern Waske
Summary: This study examines the gradual changes in vegetation caused by oil sand mining in the Athabasca region of northern Alberta, Canada from 1984 to 2021. The results show that while most of the vegetation in the region has positive development, negative impacts on vegetation development are observed near opencast mines and processing facilities. Deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests are disproportionately affected, but no negative influences on neighboring vegetation are found around SAGD mines.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATIONS AND REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tijana Vasiljevic, Narumol Jariyasopit, Jasmin K. Schuster, Tom Harner
Summary: The study revealed that concentrations of NPAHs and OPAHs in the ambient air of the Alberta Oil Sands Region were relatively low, with the highest concentrations found in areas associated with extensive mining activities. The seasonal trend investigation yielded inconclusive results, with NPAHs slightly higher during the winter and OPAHs slightly elevated during the summer. Comparisons with measurements in the Greater Toronto Area indicated a similar range of concentrations but also pointed to the unique presence of certain NPAHs in the AOSR, suggesting the need for better understanding of their toxicity and propensity for long range transport.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lucie M. J. Levesque, Julie Roy, Nancy E. Glozier, Leah Dirk, Colin A. Cooke
Summary: The Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring Program has been conducting long-term surface water quality monitoring on the lower Athabasca River since 2012. The program found that the presence of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in the river, especially in the oil sands mineable area, is mainly influenced by mining activities.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
William Shotyk
Summary: This study summarizes ten misunderstandings about trace elements in the environment of Alberta's bituminous sands. By studying resources such as snow, moss, peat cores, and rivers, it reveals some misconceptions and introduces the natural enrichment of trace elements in plants and animals.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-PROCESSES & IMPACTS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Abdul Samad, Gervais Pelletier, Armand Seguin, Dani Degenhardt, Douglas G. Muench, Christine Martineau
Summary: This study used RNA sequencing to investigate the effects of different types of oil sands tailings (OST) on gene expression in willow. The results showed that some genes responded universally, while others responded specifically to different types of OST. Genes related to detoxification, transport, and stress response were identified. The expression of certain genes could be used as a biosensor to distinguish plants exposed to different OST stresses. This study provides valuable insights for optimizing OST capping and vegetation restoration technologies.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandre P. J. Salat, Kim L. Williams, Suzanne Chiu, David C. Eickmeyer, Linda E. Kimpe, Jules M. Blais, Doug Crump
Summary: Increases in oil sands mining operations have led to higher concentrations of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in nearby aquatic systems. Sediment cores from lakes near and far from mining sites showed variations in PAC concentrations and compositions. The avian in vitro bioassay was effective in evaluating the toxicity of complex PAC extracts from sediment cores.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Austin Zabel, Scott J. Ketcheson, Richard M. Petrone
Summary: This study evaluates the feasibility of incorporating pit lakes into reclamation closure designs in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region. The research highlights challenges in constructing sustainable reclamation landscapes due to variations in interannual and decadal water cycles.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MINING RECLAMATION AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Andrew P. W. Banks, Phong Thai, Michelle Engelsman, Xianyu Wang, Andres F. Osorio, Jochen F. Mueller
Summary: Firefighters are exposed to a variety of chemicals, including PAHs, when attending fire scenes. Exposure to PAHs was higher in particleboard fires compared to diesel pan fires. Urinary OH-PAH metabolites can be used to observe PAH exposure in compartment burns with high concentrations of PAHs, such as in particleboard fires. Overall, urinary OH-PAH concentrations were relatively low considering the potential exposure in these burns, suggesting that protective equipment and decontamination measures are effective in controlling exposure.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Richard S. Vachula, Allison T. Karp, Elizabeth H. Denis, Nicholas L. Balascio, Elizabeth A. Canuel, Yongsong Huang
Summary: This study examined the relationship between PAH fluxes preserved in lake sediments in the Sierra Nevada, California, and the area burned, finding that certain PAHs may be influenced by anthropogenic pollution sources when recording area burned. However, other specific PAHs were found to be reliable proxies of burned areas within certain spatial scales.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Felix Nwaishi, Matthew Morison, Janina Plach, Merrin Macrae, Richard Petrone
Summary: Peatlands store carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and the stoichiometric relationship among them may be modified by ecosystem disturbances. This study investigates the stoichiometric ratios of C, N, and P in disturbed boreal forest peatlands in the Athabasca oil sands region. The results show differences in nutrient stoichiometric balance across and within peatlands, indicating the potential impact of landscape fragmentation on peatland nutrient stoichiometry.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maryam Moradi, Yuan You, Hayley Hung, James Li, Richard Park, Nick Alexandrou, Samar G. Moussa, Liisa Jantunen, Rachelle Robitaille, Ralf M. Staebler
Summary: This study for the first time assessed the emissions of PACs from the Suncor Tailings Pond 2/3 in Alberta, confirming volatilization fluxes of PACs using three different models. The findings highlight the necessity of gathering data from other tailings ponds to determine their contributions to PAC emissions to the atmosphere.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Caiyun Sun, Yu Xia, Chunlei Xu, Liang Xu
Summary: This research investigated the distribution and cancer risk of 7 parent PAHs and 19 H-PAHs in Songhua river and Songhua lake of Jilin city, China. The results showed that these compounds coexisted and their concentrations varied seasonally. The cancer risk of these compounds was generally low, although it may be underestimated due to a lack of toxicity data for some H-PAHs.
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Akira Toriba, Kazuichi Hayakawa
Summary: Air pollution from PM2.5 causes 7 million deaths annually worldwide, especially affecting children's health in developing countries. Recent studies have shown that these pollutants are linked to diseases beyond lung-related issues, leading to the development of new detection methods. It is necessary to consider the targets for future generation environmental standards.
BIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Tom Harner, Cassandra Rauert, Derek Muir, Jasmin K. Schuster, Yu-Mei Hsu, Leiming Zhang, George Marson, John G. Watson, Jason Ahad, Sunny Cho, Narumol Jariyasopit, Jane Kirk, Jennifer Korosi, Matthew S. Landis, Jonathan W. Martin, Yifeng Zhang, Kim Fernie, Gregory R. Wentworth, Andrzej Wnorowski, Ewa Dabek, Jean-Pierre Charland, Bruce Pauli, Frank Wania, Elisabeth Galarneau, Irene Cheng, Paul Makar, Cynthia Whaley, Judith C. Chow, Xiaoliang Wang
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS
(2018)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrzej Wnorowski, Yayne-abeba Aklilu, Tom Harner, Jasmin Schuster, Jean-Pierre Charland
Summary: This study characterized the concentrations and spatiotemporal patterns of ambient air polycyclic aromatic compounds in the Athabasca oil sands region between 2011 and 2015. Alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found to be the majority of PACs in air, with concentrations varying spatially and seasonally. PAC concentrations measured during wildfire events were the highest and enriched in higher molecular weight alk-PAHs.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrzej Wnorowski, David Harnish, Ying Jiang, Valbona Celo, Ewa Dabek-Zlotorzynska, Jean-Pierre Charland
Summary: This study evaluates the concentrations and distribution of alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (alkyl-PAHs), dibenzothiophenes (DBTs), and unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the ambient air at different sites in Canada. The findings show a significant contribution of traffic emissions to alkyl-PAH levels in urban ambient air and suggest that speciation of alkyl-PAHs provides more data on air quality and health risks, as well as helps distinguish petrogenic-influenced sources from other sources.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrzej Wnorowski, Jean-Pierre Charland
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrzej Wnorowski
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
VA Yaylayan, CP Locas, A Wnorowski, J O'Brien
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2004)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
A Wnorowski, VA Yaylayan
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2003)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
VA Yaylayan, A Wnorowski, CP Locas
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2003)
Article
Food Science & Technology
A Wnorowski, VA Yaylayan
JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE
(2002)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
A Wnorowski, VA Yaylayan
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2000)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
VA Yaylayan, A Keyhani, A Wnorowski
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2000)