Continuing Research
OCTOBER 2011 UPDATE
NEW AND CONTINUING PROJECTS:
Assessing metal dynamics and ecotoxicity in Ross Lake, Flin Flon, Manitoba, in collaboration with Hudson Bay mining company
Photo: M.A.Sc. student Sumara Yacoob and Professor Miriam Diamond doing field work on Ross Lake, Manitoba. Data collected will be used to develop a model of metal dynamics and metal ecotoxicity for Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. (Photo courtesy of M. Diamond.)
Professor Miriam Diamond (Department of Geography) and her lab in the Department of Geography, in collaboration with Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. (HBMS), are working on a model to assess metal dynamics and metal ecotoxicity in Ross Lake, located in Flin Flon, Manitoba in this three year Centre for Environment (CFE) project (2009-12).
Ross Lake has received zinc enriched mine tailing effluents for over 50 years. Due to resuspension of sediments, Ross Lake is a source of zinc to downstream waterbodies. In this project, a model is being developed for HBMS that would help them assess metal dynamics and metal ecotoxicity (toxicity to fish and other species in the lake) in Ross Lake as part of the mine's closure plan. (Although the mine is not closing, government regulations demand that they develop a closure plan.) The coupled metal fate/transport, metal speciation and toxicity model is an updated version of a previously completed TRANSPEC model developed by Dr. Satyendra Bhavsar as part of his doctorate. (Dr. Bhavsar is a Research Scientist, Ontario Ministry of Environment and CFE Adjunct Professor.) The updated model would be used to evaluate the different scenarios laid out in HBMS's mine closure plan, and to estimate the amount of zinc that could be added to the lake without causing any adverse effects to fish and other aquatic species.
So far, field work at Ross Lake was completed in October 2010 and in July 2011, with data gathered used to evaluate the model.
For more information, please contact Miriam Diamond at miriam.diamond@utoronto.ca or Sumera Yacoob (M.A.Sc. candidate, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry) at sumera.yacoob@utoronto.ca.
From exhaust pipe to plants: tracking the fate of trace metal emissions in roadside gardens in Toronto
Photo: Professor Clare Wiseman working at one of her roadside gardens, located at U of T’s St. George campus (St. George Street and Hoskin Ave.). Her study assesses the metal uptake in garden plants in close proximity to traffic.
A research study led by Professor Clare Wiseman of the Centre for Environment is assessing the fate of traffic-related trace metal emissions and their uptake by plants grown in Toronto. Originally initiated in cooperation with Foodshare and with a seed grant from the Centre for Urban Health Initiatives of U of T, the goal of this study is to elucidate how soil trace metal behavior and bioaccessibility are influenced by stabilization processes, as determined by primary physico-chemical soil parameters and changing field conditions over time. A wide range of trace metals will be examined, ranging from lead, copper and nickel to the lesser known elements strontium and cerium. The ultimate aim is to assess the hazard potential of gardening in close proximity to traffic and provide a better knowledge basis for more informed decision-making in the establishment of community gardens in Toronto.
Since 2010, common garden plants such as oregano and eggplant were cultivated at four locations with predicted variable traffic metal inputs: two locations on U of T's St. George campus (on the Galbraith Building's rooftop and at the corner of St. George Street and Hoskin Avenue) and two in the west end of Toronto.
Preliminary results from the first phase of this study using the application of a microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure and ICP-MS for both plant tissue and soil samples suggest several important trends. First, the location of the gardens matters. Plants grown on soils close to higher volumes of traffic generally contain higher levels of trace metals. Oregano grown close to the Gardiner Expressway, for instance, had significantly higher concentrations of lead compared plants grown in a residential location with a low volume of traffic (an average of 4.67 mg/kg vs. 0.84 mg/kg).
Secondly, metal uptake by plants appears to be strongly influenced by soil age. Specifically, oregano grown in a new organic triple mix soil along a road with medium volumes of traffic took up a greater proportion of many trace elements such as cadmium compared to plants grown in older aged soils at a heavy traffic location. Initial results using a physio-logically-based extraction procedure to determine the solubility of metals in the gastrointestinal tract of children also suggest that the proportion of bioavailable lead in the newer, remediated soil is greater compared to that in the older, unremediated soil (approximately 50% vs. 30% lead solubility). This demonstrates that trace elements are more likely to be tightly bound to soil constituents over time, making them less soluble and available for uptake.
Thirdly, elevated concentrations of certain elements measured in plant tissues compared to soils suggest metal uptake through atmospheric deposition in addition to soil-plant transfers.
Fourthly, metal uptake by plants is strongly species dependent. Eggplant grown at the roadside St. George campus location had higher levels of cadmium on average (0.22 mg/kg) compared to oregano grown in the same bed (0.10 mg/kg).
The next phase of this research will continue to explore current trends, as well as examine the role of mineralogical controls in governing the fate of metals from soil to plants.
For more information, please contact Dr. Clare Wiseman at clare.wiseman@utoronto.ca.
Study assesses human exposure to PFCs in Ontario fish and finds PFCs in creeks near release of fire-fighting foam
Photo: CFE Adjunct Professor Dr. Satyendra Bhavsar and staff from the Ontario
Ministry of the Environment collect fish samples in order to assess their
content of perfluorinated compounds. (Photo courtesy of S. Bhavsar.)
In this one-year project funded by Public Works and Government Services Canada, Dr. Satyendra Bhavsar (Research Scientist, Ontario Ministry of Environ-ment, OMOE; and Adjunct Professor, CFE) and colleagues from U of T, OMOE, and Health Canada are researching human exposure to perfluorinated compounds in Ontario fish caught near point sources and the effects of cooking on exposure. Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are a family of fluorine-containing chemicals with unique properties to make materials stain and stick resistant. They have been used in a wide array of consumer products (including Teflon and Scotchguard) as grease and water repellents and are incredibly resistant to breakdown. Studies have shown that Canadians are exposed to PFCs which accumulate in the body. One of the major routes of exposure is via contaminated food, such as fish, but the relative importance of domestically-caught fish is not known. The research team has collected fish samples from a number of locations near major industrial facilities, a former PFC spill site, and selected major sewage treatment plants in Ontario and is currently analyzing them for PFC content. The effect of three different cooking methods (baking, broiling and frying) on fish PFC levels is also being studied.
Study finds PFCs in nearby creeks one decade after use of fire-fighting foam at Pearson International Airport
In a project as part of the above study, the researchers also detected concentrations of PFCs in creeks one decade after the discharge of fire-fighting foam at Toronto Pearson International Airport and have recently published results in Environmental Science and Technology1. PFCs were detected in an Etobicoke creek one decade after the discharge of fire-fighting foam at the airport in 2000 due to a fire alarm malfunction and in 2005, used to extinguish the fire caused by Air France flight 358 overrunning the runway.
The researchers examined spatial and long-term (9-year) temporal trends of PFCs in water, sediment, fish and fish liver collected in 2003, 2006 and 2009 from 10 locations stretching approximately 20 km in Etobicoke and Spring Creeks, into which Moore Creek flows. Fire-fighting foam is of concern because it is a major source of PFCs in the form of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
Even a decade after the spill, sediment PFOS concentrations are still elevated in Spring Creek Pond which received the foam discharge from Moore Creek, however, the major impact is relatively localized likely due to the storm water detention nature of the creek. Fish and fish liver PFOS concentrations at a Spring Creek location declined by about 70 and 85%, respectively, between 2003 and 2009. Compared to PFOS measurements for fish liver collected from airport property 21 days after the spill, PFOS levels in Spring Creek Pond were 92-99% lower in 2009. Spring Creek flows into larger Etobicoke Creek where fish and water PFOS concentrations dropped further. PFOS in water at locations further downstream have declined by more than 99.99% since the spill; however, the 2009 water and fish levels were approximately 2-10 times higher than upstream locations likely due to the long-term impact of the spill as well as urbanization.
1. E. Awad et al. Long-term environmental fate of perfluorinated compounds after accidental release at Toronto Airport. Environmental Science and Technology 45 (19): 8081-8089.
Available online for U of T faculty, staff and students at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es2001985
For more information, please email Dr. Bhavsar at s.bhavsar@utoronto.ca.
Projects focussing on Canadian environmental policy relating to climate change, transportation, and the oil and gas industry
The following current projects on environmental policy are led by Dr. Douglas Macdonald, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Environment. For more information, please contact him at douglas.macdonald@utoronto.ca.
Allocating Canadian GHG Emission Reductions Amongst Sources and Provinces
This three-year project (2009-12) is funded by SSHRC and studies the allocation of Canadian greenhouse gas emission reductions amongst sources and provinces, learning from the European Union (EU) and Germany. The project is a collaboration with researchers at the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany and Wageningen Universiteit in The Netherlands and addresses the inability of Canadian federal and provincial governments to reach agreement on one national climate-change program, including allocation of cost amongst sources and provinces, in comparison to success in developing such programs in Germany and the EU.
Because it is a true collective-action problem, effective climate policy requires agreement amongst participating jurisdictions, globally and in federated systems, respecting the share of the total cost to be assumed by each. In Canada, this is complicated because provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan, with fossil-fuel dependent economies, are being asked to pay a much higher price for effective action than others. The project addresses this challenge which is one of the most significant barriers to effective national policy.
To date a number of reviews of relevant bodies of secondary literature have been done of secondary literature related to social co-ordination. Case study research using primary documents and approximately 50 interviews with government officials in six Canadian provinces and the Government of Canada, Germany and the EU have also been completed. A survey of Canadian climate professionals is being conducted and work has begun on analysis of the project findings. That analysis was expressed in a preliminary report discussed at workshops in Edmonton, Ottawa and Halifax in September 2011. The final project report will be released and presented to Canadian governments in late spring 2012. A number of academic conference papers have also been presented at Carleton University, Dalhousie University, and Wilfrid Laurier University, and other academic publications are planned.
Policy Instrument Choices Influencing Sustainable Transportation in Toronto
This one-year project (2010-11) is part of a SSHRC-funded project led by Professor Jean Mercier with co-investigator Professor Mario Carrier (both from Université Laval) to look at factors influencing urban transportation policy. At U of T, Dr. Macdonald has been working with Amir Ganjavie (Ph.D. candidate, Geography and CFE) and Scott Sams (Ph.D. candidate, Political Science) to examine policy instrument decisions made by the City of Toronto and the Governments of Ontario and Canada which have been intended to shift transportation toward sustainability.
The purpose is to identify the most important policy instrument decisions which explain, along with other factors, the current transportation mix and to then gain understanding of how and why those decisions were made. During the 2010-11 academic year, secondary literature on transportation policy was reviewed and an examination was made of basic factors such as geography and city demographics which influence the modal split. Preliminary primary research was also done on government organization and its relation to transportation policy, particularly the creation of Metropolitan Toronto in 1954 and the concomitant push to provide transit in the suburbs; as well as subway construction since the 1950s and Ontario government funding reductions in the 1990s. The project moved to the interview phase in the summer of 2011. The Laval team will then amalgamate the Toronto case findings with those of Seattle, Boston and Montréal to provide a generalized understanding of transportation policy decision-making.
The Oil and Gas Industry and Canada's Climate Change Policy
This is a two-year SSHRC-funded project (2009-11) examining the recent lobbying history of the oil and gas industry and the varying degree of influence it has had on Canadian federal government climate change policy decisions.
The oil and gas industry's close engagement with the evolution of Canadian environmental policy has resulted in both wins and losses for the sector. The 1995 decision to rely solely on voluntary action was a boon to an industry in which policy mandating the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions is directly relevant to sector profitability. On the other hand, lobbyists for the oil and gas industries were powerless to prevent the 2002 ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.
In the project's first year, CFE undergraduate student Gurushabd Khalsa conducted research on relevant primary documents and news media articles. A conference paper by Dr. Macdonald on this project was delivered at the annual meeting of the Canadian Environmental Studies Association at Concordia University, Montréal in 2010. Since then, Ms. Khalsa has done more primary research and research. Dr. Macdonald hopes to publish a peer-reviewed article on sources of the agency and structural power of the industry by the end of 2011.
Governance Innovation and the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy
Dr. Macdonald also received two years of funding in 2010 from Carbon Management Canada for a project to study innovation in governance practices to address climate change and accelerate the transition towards a low carbon Canada. It is being done jointly with Professors James Meadowcroft and Glen Toner (School of Policy Studies, Carleton University) and graduate students from both universities.
The research led by Dr. Macdonald examines distributional potentially associated with climate change policies, such as inequitable effects imposed upon the poor by a carbon tax. The focus is on regional/intergovernmental, industrial, and social dimensions of climate-related political conflict in Canada. The analysis will be supplemented by historical case studies of political conflict associated with other major policy initiatives in Canada and a secondary literature review of experiences managing low carbon transition conflicts outside Canada. The Carleton portion of the project is examining institutional innovations for climate governance (such as the United Kingdom carbon budgets established by six jurisdictions with particularly active climate policy: UK, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the EU) in order to understand lessons which might be applied in Canada.
Development of B*focussed productivity system
Dr. Beth Savan (CFE Senior Lecturer) recently received one year of funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency's Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative for a project done in partnership with Kangaroo Design and Innovation Firm. The study builds on some of the best-practices developed by the U of T Sustainability Office's successful Rewire project which aims to empower students to reduce their own energy consumption through small behaviourial changes (see page 26). It aims to develop a time management product called B*focused in order to optimize the working potential of individuals in a shared office setting. Under the leadership of Dr. Savan and Post-Doctoral Fellow Dr. Ellie Farahani, the pilot phase will determine the social conditions needed for effective adoption and will rely on research best-practices developed by Rewire and includes psychology-based insights from the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Community Based Social Marketing.
For more information, please contact Dr. Beth Savan at b.savan@utoronto.ca.