Water pollution North America

Liquid petroleum (cmde oil and the products refined from it) plays a pervasive role in our modem society. For example, about 286,000 tonnes of oil and petroleum products are used in Canada every day. The United States uses about 10 times this amount and, worldwide, about 11 million tonnes are used per day. Extraction, transportation, and widespread use of petroleum inevitably result in intentional and accidental releases to the environment. In addition, natural seepage of cmde oil from geologic formations below the seafloor to the sea surface also contributes to pollution of the marine environment. Based on analysis of data from a wide variety of sources, each year on average about 260,000 tonnes of petroleum spills into the waters off North America. Annual worldwide estimates of petroleum input into the sea exceed 1,300,000 tonnes. In Canada, about 12 spills of more than 40001 are reported each day, of which only about one spill is into navigable waters and most spills take place on land. In the U.S.A., about 25 such spills occur each day into navigable waters and about 75 occur on land. ... 

Whelpdale, D. M., and Barrie, L. A., ]. Air Water Soil Pollut. 14, 133-157 (1982). National Research Council, "Acid Deposition Atmospheric Processes in Eastern North America." National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1983. 

The theme of the Workshop was multidisciplinary methods of characterizing contaminated sites using modem geochemistry with examples from different countries in Europe, North America, and Asia. Special themes included soil, surface, and ground waters contamination, environment pollution, and human health, and data interpretation and management. 

Another major exposure route for humans is via contaminated food. For example, North America s Great Lakes, which are the largest body of freshwater in the world, are polluted with about 362 contaminants that were found in quantifiable amounts in the water, sediment, and biota (IJC 1983 USEPA 1994). The critical pollutants were identified as PCBs, DDT, dieldrin, toxaphene, mirex, methyl mercury, benzofa) pyrene, hexachlorobenzene, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and alkylated lead. Some of these pollutants biomagnify in the aquatic food chain and can be detected in increased levels in cooked Great Lakes fish. Consequently, the blood serum levels of these chemicals are significantly increased in consumers of contaminated Great Lakes sport fish compared to people who do not eat such fish (Flumphrey 1983 Fiore et al. 1989 Sonzogni et al. 1991). 

Mclaughlin S. and Percy K. (2000) Forest health in North America some perspectives on actual and potential roles of climate and air pollution. Water Air Soil Pollut. 116, 151-197. 

Jeffries D. S., Wales D. L., Kelso J. R. M., and Linthurst R. A. (1986) Regional chemical characteristics of lakes in North America. Part 1. Eastern Canada. Water Air Soil Pollut. 31, 551-569. 

Skjelkvale B. L., Stoddard J. L., and Anderson T. (2001a) Trends in surface water acidification in Europe and North America. Water Air Soil Pollut. 130, 787-792. 

Eastern North America," Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 6 407-414 (1976). 

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