Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Volume 182, Issue -, Pages 307-315Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.07.012
Keywords
Alkyl PAHs; Alberta oil sands; Paleolimnology; In-situ bitumen extraction; Cold Lake
Categories
Funding
- Health Canada National First Nations Environmental Contaminants Program
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The extraction of bitumen from the Alberta oil sands using in-situ technologies is expanding at a rapid rate; however, investigations into the environmental impacts of oil sands development have focused on surface mining in the Athabasca region. We measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in soils, spruce needles, and lake sediment cores in the Cold lake oil sands region to provide a historical and spatial perspective on PAH contamination related to in-situ extraction activities. A pronounced increase in PAH concentrations was recorded in one of two study lakes (Hilda Lake) corresponding to the onset of commercial bitumen production in similar to 1985. Distance from extraction rigs was not an important predictor of PAH concentrations in soils, although two samples located near installations were elevated in alkyl PAHs. Evidence of localized PAH contamination in Hilda Lake and two soil samples suggests that continued environmental monitoring is justified to assess PAH contamination as development intensifies. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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