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

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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.