Pollution Canadian studies

A field experiment was conducted at the Canadian Air Forces Base Borden, Ontario, to study the behavior of organic pollutants in a sand aquifer under natural conditions (Mackay et al., 1986). Figure 25.9 shows the results of two experiments, the first one for tetrachloroethene, the second one for chloride. Both substances were added as short pulses to the aquifer. The curves marked as ideal were computed according to Eqs. 25-20 or 25-23. The measured data clearly deviate from the ideal curve. The nonideal curves were constructed by Brusseau (1994) with a mathematical model that includes various factors causing nonideal behavior. 

Environmental Defence recently released Toxic Nation A Report on Pollution in Canadians (Environmental Defence 2005). Samples were collected from 11 people for the presence of 88 chemicals, including heavy metals, PBDEs, PCBs, perfluorinated chemicals, organochlorine pesticides, organophosphorus-insecticide metabolites, and VOCs. The study objectives included determining whether pollutants were present at measurable concentrations in Canadians, identifying chemicals of concern, and creating public awareness of methods for avoiding exposure. 

Acid rain was implicated in the sterilization of lakes in North Eastern United States and in Eastern Canada. Studies showed much of the air pollution responsible for acid rain originated in the United States. The Canadian government requested the United States reduce its emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. In response, the Reagan administration promised to spend 2.5 billion on a program of research and demonstration (read this to mean study). The aim was to reduce pollution from coal fired power stations. 

NESCAUM (Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management), NEWMOA (Northeast Waste Management Officials Association), NEIWPCC (New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission), and EMAN ( Canadian Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network). 1998. Mercury in Northeastern freshwater fish current level and ecological impacts. Pp. IV.1-IV.21 in Northeast States/Eastem Canadian Provinces Mercury Study — A Frame Work for Action. February, 1998. 

Burnett RT, Goldberg MS (2003) Size fractionated particulate mass and daily mortality in 8 Canadian cities. In Health Effects Institute, special report. Revised analyses of time-series studies of air pollution and health, pp 85-89... 

A large study of acidity in U.S. lakes and streams, called the National Surface Water Survey (NSWS), concluded that over 2000 lakes and streams in the eastern United States have high acidity levels due to acid rain. In many sensitive lakes and streams, acid levels are high enough that fish species, such as the brook trout, have been eradicated. In the worst cases, acid levels are so high that the entire lake is effectively dead, supporting no marine life. Eastern Canada has also been affected by pollutants from U.S. power plants. The Canadian government estimates that 14,000 lakes in eastern Canada are acidic, at least partly due to U.S. emissions. 

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