Mercury in eggs downstream from oil sands grows 50 per cent: study
Bob Weber
Edmonton— The Canadian Press
Published Friday, Oct. 01, 2010
A study by Environment Canada indicates levels of toxic mercury in the eggs of water birds downstream from the oil-sands industry seem to have grown by nearly 50 per cent over the last three decades.
The study, one of the few to compare the region's ecosystem before and after its industrial boom, doesn't tie the increased mercury specifically to energy development.
Mr. Cameron, who recognizes there is apprehension about 'drive-by environmentalism,' urged Alberta to consider the environmental pressures the multibillion-dollar industry is putting on the province, pointing to the polluted Athabasca River in particular: 'I can't imagine being told by mom I can't swim in the river.'
But the report's author says its findings suggest that the Athabasca River is the source of at least some of that mercury.
“The fact that we see higher mercury at the sites that are downstream of the Athabasca River would suggest that the Athabasca is a significant source,” said biologist Craig Hebert, whose study is now under peer review prior to publication.
Mr. Hebert's team travelled to three northern Alberta locations in 2009 to collect bird eggs in order to analyze contaminant levels in them. Two of those sites were in the Athabasca River delta; the third was on the Peace River.
“We know that bird eggs provide a pretty good indication of local contamination.”
While arsenic and hydrocarbon levels were found to be below detectable limits, mercury amounts were significantly higher – especially in the eggs taken from the Athabasca region.
But it wasn't until the scientists searched the material collected and archived in Environment Canada storage vaults that they were able to draw any conclusions about what has been happening over time.
Mr. Hebert knew that scientists had been to the area back in the late 1970s. When he checked the archived collections, he found 10 eggs safely stored away at -40 C from the same nesting sites and the same species that his team had examined.
“That 1977 data ... was pre- most of the development in the oil sands,” said Mr. Hebert. “It was like having a time machine.”
When the eggs were analyzed, scientists discovered that the 2009 eggs from California gulls had a mercury load 49 per cent higher than those from 1977.
“Contamination from oil-sands development is one possibility,” the report says.
Mr. Hebert cautions the mercury could be coming from elsewhere. Much of it drifts north from coal-powered generating stations in the south and as far away as Asia.
He also points out that two data points don't necessarily make a trend. Mr. Hebert hopes to be able to return to the area next spring to collect more eggs to see if high mercury levels remain.
The mercury contamination is still too low to threaten the health of the birds, he said, but the current levels are “a significant increase.”
“It suggests that loadings of mercury have changed in that region. It looks like some of that mercury may be coming from the Athabasca River.”
That conclusion dovetails with another study that found similar mercury increases over time in walleye, a type of fish found in the area. Those concentrations were found to have increased 30 per cent between 1976 and 2005.
Mr. Hebert said there's very limited information on biological trends in the region. Although the provincial government compiles monitoring data, little of it goes back as far as Mr. Hebert's eggs.
Alberta Environment spokesman Mark Cooper said the government welcomes new information on the area's environment and pointed out the province is appointing an independent scientific review panel.
“[Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach] and [Environment Minister Rob Renner] have said it's essential that we get as much information as we can about industrial impacts on the Athabasca,” he said. “There has been increased concern with industry-related contamination entering the Athabasca.”
Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice this week named his own independent scientific panel to examine environmental monitoring in the area.
Studies published earlier this year by University of Alberta biologists also found toxic heavy metals and some hydrocarbons at levels already harmful to fish. Those studies claim to establish a firm link between contamination and industrial development.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are currently using new technology to “fingerprint” compounds to definitively determine their source.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/mercury-in-eggs-do...
