The Presence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Edible Fish Tissue from the
Athabasca/Slave River System, Canada
E.
1
Ohiozebau ,
B.
2
Tendler ,
A.
2
Hill ,
OBJECTIVE
Created by Peter Downing – Educational Media Access and Production © 2011
Whitefish
Fort Resolution
14.9
20.3
7.8
8.4
11.9
Fort Smith
22.8
14.5
10.8
24.2
13.9
Fort Chipewyan
29.2
16.3
15.9
22.4
26.8
Fort McKay
24.4
43.4
58.8
54.4
61.1
Fort McMurray
63.8
42.6
52.5
33.5
56.6
Fig 8: Spatial variation
Fig.9: PAH Concentration in Jackfish
50
50
45
40
40
35
30
30
25
20
20
15
10
10
5
0
0
Seasons
Fig 10: Seasonal variation
(1
28
W
)
hi
te
fis
h
(1
19
)
Walleye
0
(1
27
)
Jackfish
14
W
al
ley
e
Goldeye
28
(1
33
)
Burbot
42
(4
8)
Table 2: Average concentration of PAHs in sampled Fishes (ng/g, wm)
56
Concentration (ng/g)
Gonad (g)
22.3
52.1
76.7
22.6
12.0
47.5
43.3
130
89.2
27.0
43.6
20.8
31.7
25.3
23.0
82.9
16.2
42.6
31.5
28.5
2.4
23.6
73.6
22.2
17.1
Ja
ck
fis
h
Fig. 1: Sampling locations along the Athabasca/Slave River, Canada
LSI
7.7
1.4
2.1
1.9
1.3
1.9
1.5
1.9
1.3
0.8
4.1
1.4
1.3
1.5
1.3
2.1
1.4
1.7
1.4
0.9
6.0
1.2
1.7
1.4
1.0
Go
lde
ye
Fort McMurray
Weight (g)
1638
596
2354
1271
938
879
568
2534
1245
953
1040
566
2652
1374
1217
1075
497
2098
1056
1096
420
558
2753
1326
1160
Bu
rb
ot
Fort McKay
Length (cm)
62.1
37.3
66.3
47.4
40.8
48.6
36.2
65.9
46.5
40.8
50.0
36.4
68.0
50.3
41.1
55.2
33.6
61.4
48.0
40.0
39.6
35.7
65.0
47.3
41.8
Concentration (ng/g)
Fort Chipewyan
Location Species
Fort Burbot
Resolution Goldeye
Jackfish
Walleye
Whitefish
Fort Smith Burbot
Goldeye
Jackfish
Walleye
Whitefish
Fort Burbot
Chipewyan Goldeye
Jackfish
Walleye
Whitefish
Fort McKay Burbot
Goldeye
Jackfish
Walleye
Whitefish
Fort Burbot
McMurray Goldeye
Jackfish
Walleye
Whitefish
Figure 12: The distribution of the C0–C4 alkylated PAHs: a) naphthalene, b) fluorene, c)
pheanthrene/anthracene, showing the preponderance of C3. d)fluoranthene, e) chrysene,
showing the preponderance of C4.
CONCLUSIONS
70
Su
m
m
er
(1
96
)
Fort Smith
Table 1: Average morphological characteristics of the sampled species
(1
86
)
Fort Resolution
1,2
Jones
RESULTS: ALKYLATED PAHs
RESULTS: PARENT PAHs
Sp
rin
g
SAMPLING LOCATIONS
P.
Fig.7: Extraction using soxhlet apparatus
Fa
ll (
18
9)
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous compounds, which
originate from both natural (e.g., forest fires, natural hydrocarbon seeps)
and anthropogenic sources (e.g., combustion of fossil fuels, coal burning,
use of oil for cooking and heating). Their presence in the Athabasca basin is
a result of a highly dynamic system with natural and anthropogenic inputs.
Parts of the Athabasca River and its tributaries, which over geological time
have incised into the oil sands deposits, receive natural inflows of PAHs
from the McMurray Formation (Dowdeswell et al. 2010, Akre et al. 2004).
The development of oil sands in the area is also a source of PAHs (Kelly et
al. 2009, Parajulee, Wania 2014). Here we report on concentrations of PAHs
in the muscle of fish collected in the Athabasca and Slave rivers. Fish
species were chosen based on their abundance along the basin, and their
dietary significance to communities in the area. They are therefore of
interest in monitoring contaminant levels and in estimating potential
human health effects.
E.
7
Kelly ,
Fishes were collected in the summer and fall
of 2011 and spring 2012 in cooperation with
First Nations fishers, and regional and
federal agencies. A total of 425 fishes of 5
species were collected. Bile and muscle
tissues
were
collected
for
PAH
measurement. 15 g wet mass (wm) of fish
muscle was extracted for 24 hr in a Soxhlet
apparatus with 250 ml dichloromethane
before concentration to 0.1 ml under a
stream of nitrogen. The extract was then
analyzed by GC-MS using a Hewlett Packard
(HP) 7890A GC fitted with 60 m, 0.25 mm
i.d. DP-5 silica capillary column and a HP
7683 series autosampler in selective ion
monitoring (SIM) mode.
PAH Concentration (ng/g)
INTRODUCTION
J.
2,3,4,5,6
Giesy
,
METHODS
Concentration (ng/g)
To describe the spatial and temporal distribution of 16 parent PAHs in
edible fish tissue of northern pike (Exos luscious), burbot (Lota lota),
goldeye (Hiodon alosoides), whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), and
walleye (Sander vitreus) at three locations on the Athabasca River and two
locations on the Slave River, sampled in summer and fall of 2011, and in the
spring of 2012.
G.
2
Codling ,
Selected Species
Fig 11: Species variation
Concentrations of PAHs in muscle of
the 425 sampled fishes contained a
mean concentration of 30 ng/g
∑PAH, wm. Mean concentrations
for all species, locations, and
seasons of ∑2-ring, ∑3-ring, ∑4-ring,
∑5-ring PAHs and ∑6-ring PAHs
were 5.8, 10.7, 7.2, 4.6 and 1.5
n g / g , w m , r e s p e c t i v e l y.
Concentrations of ∑PAHs in species
collected in the vicinity of Fort
McKay, varied among seasons,
ranging from 11 ng/g, wm (burbot,
summer) to 1.2x10 2 ng/g, wm
(burbot, spring) with mean of 48
ng/g, wm. Concentrations of ∑PAHs
in fishes collected in the vicinity of
Fort Resolution also varied among
species and season and ranged
from 4.3 ng/g, wm (whitefish,
summer) to 33 ng/g, wm (goldeye,
summer) with a mean of 13 ng/g,
wm. Whitefish contained the
greatest concentration at all
locations and seasons with a mean
(locations, seasons) of 32 ng/g, wm.
•The results show that measurable levels were detected across spatial and
temporal studies
•Data suggest fishes from upstream portions of the Athabasca River, which
were nearer to locations where oil sands are extracted and upgraded,
contained greater concentrations of individual PAHs in muscle than did fishes
from the Slave River
•The alkylation fingerprints indicate that fishes in the Athabasca basin received
PAHs from petrogenic and pyrolytic sources with higher input from petrogenic
sources
•Seasonal variations were also observed
•Further studies to determine the concentration of metabolized PAHs in bile,
risk to human consumers, and degree of alkylation are ongoing
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First Nations and Metis communities of Fort Resolution, Fort Smith, Fort Chipewyan, Fort
McKay and Fort McMurray, and numerous Provincial and Federal agencies are acknowledged
for their assistance during the sampling. Portions of this study were funded by the Boreal
Songbird Initiative (BSI); Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) and
the Government of the Northwest Territories. PDJ is a Northern Environmental Toxicology
Initiative Faculty member at the University of Saskatchewan. EO was supported by a New
Faculty Scholarship to PDJ from the University of Saskatchewan.
AUTHOR AFFLIATIONS
1School
of Environment & Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada 2Toxicology
Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada 3Dept. of Biomedical Veterinary Sciences,
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada 4Dept. of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong
Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China 5School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
6State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing
University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China7Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the
Northwest Territories, Canada. Email Contact: ehimai.ohiozebau@usask.ca