Sources, spatial-distributions and fluxes of PAH-contaminated dusts in the Athabasca oil sands region
Atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has increased in northern Alberta, Canada, due to industrial development in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR). However, the sources, summertime deposition fluxes and associated spatial patterns are poorly characterized, and the ma...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Environment International |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023006086 |
| _version_ | 1797401749833646080 |
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| author | Yifeng Zhang William Shotyk Rick Pelletier Claudio Zaccone Tommy Noernberg Gillian Mullan-Boudreau Jonathan W. Martin |
| author_facet | Yifeng Zhang William Shotyk Rick Pelletier Claudio Zaccone Tommy Noernberg Gillian Mullan-Boudreau Jonathan W. Martin |
| author_sort | Yifeng Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has increased in northern Alberta, Canada, due to industrial development in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR). However, the sources, summertime deposition fluxes and associated spatial patterns are poorly characterized, and the magnitude of contamination has not been directly contrasted with comparable measurements around large Canadian cities. PAHs were measured in Sphagnum moss collected from 30 bogs in the AOSR and compared with reference moss collected from various remote, rural and near-urban sites in Alberta and Ontario. At all 39 locations, strong correlations between depositional fluxes of PAHs and accumulation rates of ash (n = 117, r = 0.877, p < 0.001) implied that the main source of PAHs to moss was atmospheric deposition of particles. Average PAH concentrations at near-field AOSR sites (mean [SD], 62.4 [24.3] ng/g) were significantly higher than at far-field AOSR sites (44.9 [20.8] ng/g; p = 0.038) or the 7 reference sites in Alberta (20.6 [3.5] ng/g; p < 0.001). In fact, average PAH concentrations across the entire AOSR (7,850 km2) were approximately twice as high as in London, Ontario, or near petroleum upgrading and major traffic corridors in Edmonton, Alberta. A chemical mass balance model estimated that both delayed petcoke (33 % of PAHs) and fine tailings (38 % of PAHs) were the major sources of PAHs in the AOSR. Over the 2015 summer growing season, we estimate that 101–110 kg of PAHs (on 14,300–17,300 tonnes of PAH-containing dusts) were deposited to the AOSR within a 50 km radius of surface mining. Given that the highest PAH deposition was to the northern quadrant of the AOSR, which includes the First Nations community of Fort MacKay, further dust control measures should be considered to protect human and environmental health in the region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T02:15:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5d23e65f70494bfbb0ae112a34ece0ce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0160-4120 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T02:15:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environment International |
| spelling | doaj.art-5d23e65f70494bfbb0ae112a34ece0ce2023-12-07T05:27:35ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202023-12-01182108335Sources, spatial-distributions and fluxes of PAH-contaminated dusts in the Athabasca oil sands regionYifeng Zhang0William Shotyk1Rick Pelletier2Claudio Zaccone3Tommy Noernberg4Gillian Mullan-Boudreau5Jonathan W. Martin6Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3, CanadaDepartment of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 348B South Academic Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, CanadaDepartment of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 348B South Academic Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, CanadaDepartment of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, ItalyDepartment of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 348B South Academic Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, CanadaDepartment of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 348B South Academic Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, CanadaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3, Canada; Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden; Corresponding author at: Department of Environmental Sciences, Stockholm University, 114 18, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden.Atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has increased in northern Alberta, Canada, due to industrial development in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR). However, the sources, summertime deposition fluxes and associated spatial patterns are poorly characterized, and the magnitude of contamination has not been directly contrasted with comparable measurements around large Canadian cities. PAHs were measured in Sphagnum moss collected from 30 bogs in the AOSR and compared with reference moss collected from various remote, rural and near-urban sites in Alberta and Ontario. At all 39 locations, strong correlations between depositional fluxes of PAHs and accumulation rates of ash (n = 117, r = 0.877, p < 0.001) implied that the main source of PAHs to moss was atmospheric deposition of particles. Average PAH concentrations at near-field AOSR sites (mean [SD], 62.4 [24.3] ng/g) were significantly higher than at far-field AOSR sites (44.9 [20.8] ng/g; p = 0.038) or the 7 reference sites in Alberta (20.6 [3.5] ng/g; p < 0.001). In fact, average PAH concentrations across the entire AOSR (7,850 km2) were approximately twice as high as in London, Ontario, or near petroleum upgrading and major traffic corridors in Edmonton, Alberta. A chemical mass balance model estimated that both delayed petcoke (33 % of PAHs) and fine tailings (38 % of PAHs) were the major sources of PAHs in the AOSR. Over the 2015 summer growing season, we estimate that 101–110 kg of PAHs (on 14,300–17,300 tonnes of PAH-containing dusts) were deposited to the AOSR within a 50 km radius of surface mining. Given that the highest PAH deposition was to the northern quadrant of the AOSR, which includes the First Nations community of Fort MacKay, further dust control measures should be considered to protect human and environmental health in the region.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023006086Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsSphagnum mossAtmospheric depositionChemical mass balance receptor modelFine tailingsPetroleum coke |
| spellingShingle | Yifeng Zhang William Shotyk Rick Pelletier Claudio Zaccone Tommy Noernberg Gillian Mullan-Boudreau Jonathan W. Martin Sources, spatial-distributions and fluxes of PAH-contaminated dusts in the Athabasca oil sands region Environment International Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Sphagnum moss Atmospheric deposition Chemical mass balance receptor model Fine tailings Petroleum coke |
| title | Sources, spatial-distributions and fluxes of PAH-contaminated dusts in the Athabasca oil sands region |
| title_full | Sources, spatial-distributions and fluxes of PAH-contaminated dusts in the Athabasca oil sands region |
| title_fullStr | Sources, spatial-distributions and fluxes of PAH-contaminated dusts in the Athabasca oil sands region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sources, spatial-distributions and fluxes of PAH-contaminated dusts in the Athabasca oil sands region |
| title_short | Sources, spatial-distributions and fluxes of PAH-contaminated dusts in the Athabasca oil sands region |
| title_sort | sources spatial distributions and fluxes of pah contaminated dusts in the athabasca oil sands region |
| topic | Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Sphagnum moss Atmospheric deposition Chemical mass balance receptor model Fine tailings Petroleum coke |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023006086 |
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