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来说尤其重要，因为我们的油砂能源行业最近受到国内外公众的密切关注。在美国，我们的石油和天然气的主要出口市场，大规模的示威游行，负面的报纸报道，以及资金充足的反对来自阿尔伯塔油砂的石油和天然气的运动，都是在没有科学或事实依据的情况下提供有偏见的信息。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有关的长期压力有关的研究，将提供可以与公众沟通并被公众理解的结果，以及能够影响监管政策的民选公众人物。我的研究项目考察了与石油和天然气生产、传统开采和油砂技术有关的环境污染物对健康的影响，以及与全球范围内不断增长的能源需求有关的化石燃料消耗产生的空气污染物等。污染物暴露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，在实验室研究的支持下，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中化合物的哨兵生物指标，这可能导致亚临床毒性。正如半个世纪前鸟类接触DDT所显示的那样，鸟类是告知我们生态系统变化导致生殖、内分泌和其他生理中断的极好候选者。它们可预测的生殖周期和对当地食物来源的依赖，特别是在养育幼崽时，进一步强调了它们作为哨兵的作用，反映了它们所处环境的健康和可持续性。以前，毒理学研究的标准是牺牲动物和测量体内的污染物水平。最近，毒理学家已经认识到，我们可以通过研究活体动物来了解更多。在我的实验室里，我专注于开发和验证关键野生动物物种的可测量反应，以检测与污染物暴露有关的身体功能的早期或细微变化。我假设，通过检测一系列生理反应，使用微创技术测量，我们将能够检测特定生态系统中参考种群和暴露于污染物的野生动物种群之间的差异。我建议进一步完善和扩展免疫毒理学和内分泌反应的方法，包括长期应激激素，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。综合考察，就有可能发现上述反应的哪种组合最能预测污染对野生动物种群健康的影响。我们的研究结果在同行评议的期刊上发表后，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接触化石燃料相关污染物的毒理学影响的清晰、科学的信息。基于生态系统的野生动物对来自能源工业的空气、土壤和水资源污染的反应的研究，是利用科学解决社会经济和社会政治问题的有价值的方式，这些问题日益成为地球上各个地方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.