Sampling platform for environmental toxicology and chemistry studies of airborne contaminants

在加拿大，约80%的人口生活在城市地区，这是全球除野火外最重要的空气污染物排放者。然而，这些大气污染物的环境风险量化不足，部分原因是难以获得高质量的空气样本和测量大量污染物的浓度以评估人类和野生动物的暴露。主动式空气采样器（AAS）是当今最常用和最可靠的仪器，用于获得高质量的样品，以测量气体、半挥发性和颗粒污染物。目前，由Verreault博士（生态毒理学; U。du Québec à Montréal），Zhang博士（环境化学和建模; Concordia U.），McKinney博士（野生动物生态学和生态毒理学;麦吉尔大学），海斯博士（大气化学; de Montréal）和刘博士（环境工程和化学;麦吉尔大学）迫切需要特定的AAS模型来解决与人类和野生动物健康相关的城市空气污染相关的关键问题。该团队领导创新和高质量的研究项目，需要对各种环境样本（空气，土壤，水，沉积物和生物群）中的各种污染物进行采样和分析，以记录其来源，命运以及与野生动物和人类相关的影响。然而，目前的团队在我们各自的大学或通过魁北克的合作机构没有或无法获得足够的AAS模型。因此，我们要求NSERC提供资金，紧急购买三种型号的AAS（低容量和高容量，以及撞击器），这些型号具有特定配置和相关设备/材料，形成一个完整的空气采样平台，以确保我们正在进行的（和未来的）研究计划和合作项目的实现和成功。这个空气取样平台目前在魁北克尚不存在，它将为该小组提供对空气中污染物进行环境毒理学和化学研究的独特能力。拟议的空气采样平台旨在由团队及其HQP满负荷使用，因为它将部署在不同的受污染城市/工业场所（例如，城市、污水处理厂曝气池、沿着等）和参考站点在不同年份和时间的几天到几个星期，以表征空间，季节和年际污染物水平变化。由于空气采样技术在学术界以及公众（联邦和省政府）和私营部门（例如，HQP将从这一独特的空气采样平台培训中受益匪浅。

In Canada, about 80% of the population lives in urban areas, which are globally the most important emitters of airborne contaminants in addition to wildfires. However, the environmental risks of these atmospheric contaminants are poorly quantified, in part due to analytical difficulties in obtaining high-quality air samples and measuring the concentrations of a large suite of contaminants to assess human and wildlife exposure. Active air samplers (AAS) are the most common and reliable instruments used today to obtain high-quality samples for the measurement of gaseous, semi-volatile, and particulate contaminants. The present multidisciplinary and diverse research team composed of Dr. Verreault (ecotoxicology; U. du Québec à Montréal), Dr. Zhang (environmental chemistry and modelling; Concordia U.), Dr. McKinney (wildlife ecology and ecotoxicology; McGill U.), Dr. Hayes (atmospheric chemistry; U. de Montréal), and Dr. Liu (environmental engineering and chemistry; McGill U.) urgently needs specific AAS models to address critical questions related to urban air pollution associated with human and wildlife health. The team leads innovative and high-quality research projects necessitating sampling and analysis of a wide range of contaminants in various environmental samples (air, soil, water, sediments, and biota) to document their sources, fate, and exposure-related effects in wildlife and humans. However, the present team currently does not possess or has access to adequate AAS models in our respective universities or through collaborating institutions in Quebec. We therefore request funds from NSERC to urgently purchase three models of AAS (low- and high-volume, and impactor) with specific configurations and associated equipment/materials forming a complete air sampling platform to ensure the realisation and success of our ongoing (and future) research programs and collaborative projects. This air sampling platform, which currently does not exist in Quebec, will provide the team with unique capacity to perform environmental toxicology and chemistry studies of airborne contaminants. The proposed air sampling platform is intended to be used at full capacity by the team and their HQP as it will be deployed in different contaminated urban/industrial sites (e.g., cities, wastewater treatment plant aeration ponds, along roads, etc.) and reference sites for a few days up to several weeks over different years and times of the year to characterize spatial, seasonal, and inter-annual contaminant level variations. Because of the widespread use of air sampling techniques in environmental research and monitoring in academia as well as the public (federal and provincial governments) and private sectors (e.g., environmental consultant firms), HQP will benefit greatly from training on this unique air sampling platform.