Development of subcellular distribution methods to identify indirect or direct effects of metals on aquatic organisms

在加拿大，严格的法规控制着采矿和冶炼作业排放到水环境中的污染物的组成。矿业公司目前被要求进行环境影响监测，包括在水环境中进行生物研究，以评估和监测其废水可能造成的影响。斯坦泰克咨询有限公司从事《金属采矿废水法规》(MMER)所要求的EEM研究。它对矿山废水下游和不受废水影响的参照区的各种客户采矿场地进行的调查表明，接收环境中的水生群落往往不同于参照点的水生群落。我们拟议的研究旨在提供一种工具，以确定所观察到的影响实际上是由于水中/饮食中的金属暴露，还是更确切地说，是由于栖息地的差异。

In Canada, strict regulations control the composition of discharges from mining and smelting operations into aquatic environments. Mining companies are currently required to conduct environmental effects monitoring (EEM), which involves conducting biological studies in the aquatic environment to assess and monitor effects potentially caused by their effluent. Stantec Consulting Ltd. is engaged in the EEM studies required as part of the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations (MMER). Its investigations on various client mining sites, conducted downstream from the mine effluent and in reference areas unaffected by the effluent, have revealed that the aquatic communities in the receiving environment often differ from the communities present at the reference sites. Our proposed study is designed to provide a tool to determine if the observed effects are in fact due to waterborne/diet-borne metal exposure or rather to habitat differences.