Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Sep 14;107(37):16178-83. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1008754107. Epub 2010 Aug 30.
We show that the oil sands industry releases the 13 elements considered priority pollutants (PPE) under the US Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Act, via air and water, to the Athabasca River and its watershed. In the 2008 snowpack, all PPE except selenium were greater near oil sands developments than at more remote sites. Bitumen upgraders and local oil sands development were sources of airborne emissions. Concentrations of mercury, nickel, and thallium in winter and all 13 PPE in summer were greater in tributaries with watersheds more disturbed by development than in less disturbed watersheds. In the Athabasca River during summer, concentrations of all PPE were greater near developed areas than upstream of development. At sites downstream of development and within the Athabasca Delta, concentrations of all PPE except beryllium and selenium remained greater than upstream of development. Concentrations of some PPE at one location in Lake Athabasca near Fort Chipewyan were also greater than concentration in the Athabasca River upstream of development. Canada's or Alberta's guidelines for the protection of aquatic life were exceeded for seven PPE-cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver, and zinc-in melted snow and/or water collected near or downstream of development.
我们的研究表明，在加拿大亚伯达省的油砂开采业通过空气和水将 13 种被美国环保署视为优先污染物（PPE）的元素排放到阿萨巴斯卡河及其流域。在 2008 年的积雪中，除了硒之外，所有的 PPE 在油砂开采区附近的含量都高于偏远地区。沥青升级厂和当地的油砂开采是空气排放的来源。汞、镍和铊在冬季以及所有 13 种 PPE 在夏季的浓度在受发展影响较大的支流中都高于受发展影响较小的支流。在夏季的阿萨巴斯卡河中，靠近开发区域的浓度高于开发区域上游的浓度。在开发区域下游和阿萨巴斯卡三角洲内，除了铍和硒之外，所有 PPE 的浓度仍高于开发区域上游。在靠近 Fort Chipewyan 的阿萨巴斯卡湖的一个地点，一些 PPE 的浓度也高于开发区域上游的阿萨巴斯卡河的浓度。在融化的雪中，以及在靠近或下游的开发区域采集的水中，有七种 PPE——镉、铜、铅、汞、镍、银和锌——的浓度超过了加拿大或阿尔伯塔省保护水生生物的指南。
