NSERC Engage GEOMEGA-McGill green initiative for studies of aerosols emitted from mining sites

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Mining is a multibillion/yr industry in Canada. In the province of Quebec alone, in 2010 the value of mineral shipments from the province has been estimated about $6.8 billion accounting for 15,000 direct jobs and investment exceeding $2 billion (ISQ, 2014). Since most mining projects, environmental concerns, such as adverse air pollution due to the mining exploration, long-term transport of materials in air, and regional deposition scenarios, have always been an outmost concern to mining companies, such as Resource Géoméga Inc. This 100% owned Canadian company, operated in the province of Quebec, is a mineral exploration and development industry focused on the discovery and sustainable development of economic deposits in the province for several years. Géoméga has been working several years on the mining project Montviel. Note that this rare earth and niobium mining project is located in the d'Eeyou Istchee Baie-James region. Preliminary soil tests made by the companies' geochemists and engineers have shown significant amounts of trace metals, which can be transported as airborne particles, aerosols, locally or regionally, which can be harmful to the health of the communities living around their mining sites. Aerosols (airborne particles), have been identified as a research priority of the utmost importance by both the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC; 2013) and the World Health Organization (WMO; 2013, 2014). Géoméga does not have the knowhow of analytical methods for concurrent physical and chemical characterisation of particles. McGill Atmospheric and interfacial chemistry laboratory is the first of its kind in the province of Quebec, with established international expertise and the state-of-the-art facilities for studies of aerosol physical and chemical characteristics and processes. This new engage collaboration will provide this Quebec company to access to McGill developed methods and techniques, which will be adapted for their particular mining sites and conditions, enabling them to perform adequately environmental risk assessment of aerosols due to their mining activities. In this project, two highly qualified personnel will be trained in a multidisciplinary environment.