Non-invasive biomarkers of compromised health in contaminant-exposed wildlife

研究碳氢化合物对动物和生态系统的毒性对加拿大特别重要，因为我们的油砂能源工业最近受到国内外公众的密切关注。在美国这个石油和天然气的主要出口市场，大规模的示威活动、负面的报纸报道以及针对来自阿尔伯塔油砂的石油和天然气的资金充足的运动，正在提供不了解科学或事实的偏见信息。我们需要改变这一点。我的研究，特别是与测量与暴露于石油和天然气污染物相关的长期压力有关的研究，将提供可以传达给公众并被公众理解的结果，以及能够影响监管政策的当选公众人物。我的研究项目研究与石油和天然气生产，经典提取和油砂技术相关的环境污染物对健康的影响，以及化石燃料消耗产生的空气污染物等与全球范围内不断增长的能源需求有关。接触污染物与慢性疾病和生态系统健康受损有关。利用自然暴露的本地野生动物，通过实验室研究来确定特定毒性的敏感指标，我将研究暴露于这些环境污染物的生理和毒理学影响。选定的动物和物种是暴露于能源工业产生的空气和水媒化合物的哨兵生物指示剂，这些化合物可能导致亚临床毒性。正如半个世纪前鸟类接触滴滴涕所显示的那样，鸟类是告知我们生态系统变化导致生殖、内分泌和其他生理干扰的最佳候选者。它们可预测的生殖周期和对当地食物来源的依赖，特别是在养育后代时，进一步突出了它们作为反映其环境健康和可持续性的哨兵的有用性。以前，处死动物和测量体内污染物水平是毒理学研究的标准。最近，毒理学家认识到，我们可以通过研究活体动物了解更多。在我的实验室里，我专注于开发和验证野生动物关键物种的可测量反应，以检测与污染物暴露相关的身体功能的早期或细微变化。我假设，通过检查一套生理反应，使用微创技术测量，我们将能够检测到特定生态系统中的参考和污染物暴露的野生动物种群之间的差异。我建议进一步完善和扩大免疫毒理学和内分泌反应，包括长期应激激素的方法，以及同时使用分子技术来评估氧化应激，和/或污染物反应受体的上调。一起检查，就有可能检测出上述反应的哪种组合最能预测污染驱动的野生动物种群适应度风险。我们的研究结果在同行评审期刊上发表后通过大众媒体发表，将为记者，政府监管机构，行业代表和公众提供有关暴露于化石燃料相关污染物的毒理学影响的明确科学信息。基于生态系统的研究野生动物对能源工业污染的空气，土壤和水资源的反应，是利用科学解决社会经济和社会政治问题的宝贵方式，这些问题越来越成为地球上能源生态系统的一部分。

Research into hydrocarbon-based toxicity to animals and ecosystems is of major importance specifically to Canada, since our oil sands energy industries have recently come under intense public scrutiny domestically and internationally. In the United States, the major export market for our oil and gas, large-scale demonstrations, negative newspaper coverage, and well-funded campaigns against oil and gas coming from the Alberta oil sands, are presenting biased information uninformed by science or fact. We need to change this. My research, especially that related to measuring long-term stress associated with exposure to oil and gas contaminants, will provide results that can be communicated to, and understood by the general public, as well as elected public figures who are in a position to affect regulatory policy. My research program examines health impacts of environmental contaminants associated with oil and gas production, classical extraction and oil sands technologies, and air contaminants from fossil fuel consumption, etc. linked with growing energy demands occurring on a global scale. Contaminant exposure is associated with chronic diseases and compromised ecosystem health. Using naturally exposed, native wildlife, supported by laboratory studies to determine sensitive indicators of specific toxicities, I will study physiological and toxicological impacts of exposure to these environmental contaminants. The selected animals and species are sentinel bioindicators of exposure to air and water-borne compounds produced by the energy industry, which may lead to subclinical toxicity. As was shown with DDT exposure in birds half a century ago, avian species are excellent candidates to inform us of changes in the ecosystem resulting in reproductive, endocrinological, and other physiological disruptions. Their predictable reproductive cycles and dependence on local food sources particularly when rearing their young, further emphasize their usefulness as sentinels reflecting the health and sustainability of their environments. Formerly, sacrifice of animals and measurement of contaminant levels in the body was the standard in toxicological research. More recently, toxicologists have recognized, that we can learn much more by studying live animals. In my lab I have focused on developing and validating measurable responses in key species of wildlife to detect early or subtle changes in body functions that are related to contaminant exposure. I hypothesize that through examining a suite of physiological responses, measured using minimally invasive techniques, we will be able to detect differences between reference and contaminant-exposed populations of wildlife in specific ecosystems. I propose to further refine and expand methods in immunotoxicology and endocrine responses including long-term stress hormones, as well as simultaneously using molecular techniques to evaluate oxidative stress, and/or up-regulation of contaminant-responsive receptors. Examined together, it will be possible to detect which combination of the above mentioned responses, are most predictive of pollution driven risks to population fitness in wildlife. Results from our studies, presented through popular media after appearing in peer reviewed journals, will provide clear, scientific information on the toxicological impacts of exposure to fossil fuel related contaminants, for journalists, government regulators, industry representatives and the general public. Ecosystem based studies of wildlife responses to contamination of air, soil and water resources from the energy industry, are valuable way of using science to solve socioeconomic and sociopolitical problems that are increasingly part of the energy ecosystems everywhere on the planet.