Mercury - Arctic Frontiers

Contaminant trends in the Canadian Arctic:
Results of the recent NCP assessments on
Persistent Organic Pollutants and Mercury
Derek Muir1, Birgit Braune2, John Chetelat2, Jason Stow3
1Water
Science & Technology Directorate,
Environment Canada, Burlington ON
2Wildlife
and Landscape Science Directorate,
Environment Canada, Ottawa ON
3Aboriginal
Affairs and Northern
Development Canada, Winnipeg MB
Northern Contaminants Program
•
Canada’s Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) was
established in 1991 in response to concerns about chemical
contamination of Arctic ecosystems
•
The results generated through the NCP’s research and
monitoring activities are synthesized in Canadian Arctic
Contaminants Assessment Reports (CACARs)
A long line of assessments starting in the early 1990s
1985
1990
1995
2000
1997
CACAR I
Phys & Biol
& Human
Health
1985
Wong
INAC report
2005
2003
CACAR II
Phys & Biol
& Human
Health
2010
2009
CACAR III
Human
Health
2015
2012-13
CACAR III
Mercury &
POPs
2014
1992
Sci Total Environ
Vol 122
1999/2000
2005
2010
Sci Total
Sci Total Environ Sci Total Environ Sci Total Environ Environ
planned
Vol 230 & 254
Vol 342 & 351/352 Vol 408
CACAR III (2013): POPs in Canada’s North
Editors
Derek Muir, Perihan Kurt-Karakus and
Jason Stow
 Text and data from 47 Authors and
Contributors
 520 pages + 40 page Data Annex
 Organized by media:
 Properties, Fate and Transport
 Trends in the Physical
Environment
 Trends in the Biological
Environment
 Biological Effects
 Interlaboratory Quality
Assurance for POPs
CACAR III (2012): Mercury in Canada’s North
Editors: John Chételat and Birgit
Braune
 Text and data contributions
from over 50 authors
 280 page report, includes a
data annex
 Chapters organized by
environment
 Atmosphere
 Terrestrial
 Freshwater
 Marine
 Biological effects chapter
 Interlaboratory Quality
assurance for mercury
The NCP monitoring program and research related studies – 2003-2011
Alert
Lake Hazen
air monitoring station
ringed seal
Ausuittuq
Beluga and narwhal
Walrus
Qausuittuq
Burbot or lake trout
Ikaahuk
Landlocked char
Ulukhaktuk
sea run char
Caribou
Seabird (eggs)
polar bear
participating
communities
regional centre
Tuktoyaktuk
Inuvik
Paulatuk
Ikpiarjuk
Mittimatalik
Qikiqtarjuaq
Pangnirtung
Ikaluktutiak
Yukon Ft Good Hope
Igloolik
Uqsuqtuuq
Iqaluit
Little Fox Lake
Lake Laberge
Kusawa Lake
Whitehorse
NWT
Nunavut
Yellowknife
Lutsel k’e
Fort Resolution
Arviat
Kinngait
Kimmirut
Coats Is.
Nunatsiavut
Kangiqsualujjuaq
Kuujuak
Inukjuaq
Sanikiluaq
Nunavik
Nain
Information on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
has expanded
PCBs
NCP I (1991-1996) NCP II (1997-2002)
NCP III (2003-2011)
Air, snow, sediment,
seawater, biota
Air, seawater,
sediment, biota
Air, snow, seawater, biota
OC pesticides
Air, snow, sediment,
seawater, biota
Air, seawater,
sediment, biota
Air, snow, biota
Chlorobenzenes
Air, snow, sediment,
seawater, biota
Air, seawater,
sediment, biota
Air, snow, biota
Biota
Air, sediment, biota
Air, biota
Biota
Air, biota
Air, sediment, biota
Air, seawater, biota
Sediment, biota
Biota
Air, seawater, biota
Air, snow, seawater, sediment,
biota
Chlorinated dioxins/furans
Chlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs)
Chlorinated paraffins
Endosulfan
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers
(PBDEs)
Hexabromocyclododecane
(HBCDD)
Air, snow, seawater, biota
Other Brominated and chlorinated
flame retardants
Air, snow, seawater, biota
Penta and hexabromobiphenyls
Air, biota
Current use pesticides3
Air, snow, seawater, lake water,
biota
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
and other perfluoro-alkyl acids and
alcohols
Air, snow, seawater, lake water,
sediment, biota
Siloxanes
Air
Knowledge of time trends of POPs
has greatly improved
Air
Burbot
FGH GSL KW
PCBs
ΣCBz
ΣHCH
ΣCHL
ΣDDT
toxaphene
endosulfan
SCCPs
PCNs
PCDD/Fs
ΣPBDEs
HBCDD
PFOS and
precursors
PFCAs and
precursors
Lake trout
LL
Landlocked Seachar
birds
SBS
GSL Hazen Amituk PLI
Significant declining trend (typically > -5%/y
Significant increasing trend (typically > +5%/
No significant change (typically < 3%/yr)
seals
LS
Beluga
HB
SBS
CS
Polar
bears
HB
Annual sampling helps to assess fast moving trends in concentrations
and changing emissions of POPs
12
Northern Fulmar
Thick-billed Murre
20
10
15
8
6
10
4
5
2
0
0
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
Estimated annual production of BDE-47 in North America reported by
Alcock et al. (Environ. Int’l. 2003)
2010
kilotonnes
Concentration (parts per billion )
Brominated flame retardant component BDE-47 is declining in eggs of thick-billed
murres and northern fulmars from Prince Leopold Island, 1975-2010 following the phase
out of PentaBDE (Braune NCP Synopsis Rpt 2012)
Perfluorinated chemicals are declining in ringed seal liver and
in seabird livers in Lancaster Sound - temporal trends coincides
50
40
PFOA production (kT)
Global emissions of PFOS related cmpds (kT)
50
Ringed seals
ΣPFCAs
Ringed seals
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
Parts per billion
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
40
Northern Fulmar
Thick-billed Murre
ΣPFCAs
PFOS 300
200
100
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
50
Northern Fulmar
Thick-billed Murre
PFOS
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Seabirds – Braune Unpublished data; Seals: Muir and Wang unpublished; Butt et al. 2007a,b
kilotonnes per year
Parts per billion
with phase out of PFOS and reduction in PFOA emissions
High concentrations of PFOS in polar bear liver may exceed
estimated no-effects concentrations for mammals
Beluga
Seals
Sea birds
Polar bears
Monthly median mercury concentrations in air at Alert from
1995 to 2010: Atmospheric depletion events (AMDEs) deposit mercury
during polar spring. Overall slow decline in atmospheric mercury
1995-2000
2010
2008
2006
2004
2002
2000
2000
1998
1996
Source: Sandy Steffen NCP
Synopsis Report (2013)
Mercury concentrations have recently
increased in some Arctic biota
Burbot (Lota lota) muscle
THg concentration (µg g-1 ww)
THg concentration (µg g-1 dw)
Sea birds in Lancaster Sound
Source: Birgit Braune,
Environment Canada
Source: Gary Stern, Fisheries and
Oceans Canada
No change or a decline in mercury
levels in other monitored populations
Landlocked char muscle
Resolute Lake & Lake Hazen
Caribou kidney– Porcupine herd
Northern Yukon
0.40
5.0
0.30
Resolute
0.20
4.0
0.10
3.0
0.0
1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
0.40
2.0
0.30
1.0
0
1985
Hazen
0.20
0.10
1990
2000
Source: Mary Gamberg,
Gamberg Consulting
2005
2010
2015
0.0
1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
Source: Derek Muir,
Environment Canada
Mercury in marine bird eggs is generally lower than concentrations
expected to produce reproductive effects – except for Ivory gulls
The reports are available from the
Northern Contaminants Program
on USB sticks
Email:
[email protected]
Soon on a web site
Mercury - Recommendations

The report highlights unresolved knowledge gaps that are
central to the issue of mercury pollution in the Canadian Arctic
• Enhanced focus on measurements of atmospheric mercury
deposition to better quantify atmospheric contributions to
Arctic ecosystems
• Characterize the key environmental processes controlling the
fate of mercury after atmospheric deposition
• Identify the processes changing mercury concentrations in
Arctic animals
• Increase efforts to determine the biological effects of MeHg
exposure on Arctic fish and wildlife
• Characterize climate change effects on mercury transport,
cycling and bioaccumulation
POPs - Recommendations
• Continued monitoring of POPs in the Arctic in order to ensure that
no new chemical threats are emerging
• Continued annual sampling to improve statistical power particularly
for newly discovered POPs
• Improve our understanding of how climate change will influence
POPs
• Better knowledge of local contamination sources
• Need to collect information on multiple ecological, biological, and
physical (natural and anthropogenic) variables to assess climate
change and biological effects
Acknowledgements
• Thanks to the many participants who contributed to the
mercury and POPs assessments!
• over 80 scientists (government, university, private consultants)
• NCP secretariat
• Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
• IPY and ArcticNet
• Thanks to northern communities and Aboriginal organizations
• Special thanks to Hunters and Trappers Organizations of
communities in the Yukon, NWT, Nunavut, Nunavik and
Nunatsiavut.
• Their cooperation and active participation in the collection of
biological samples made all of this work possible.