title: Speciation and toxicity of arsenic in mining-affected lake sediments in the Quinsam watershed, British Columbia.
abstract: Anthropogenic arsenic inputs into fresh water lakes in the Quinsam watershed, British Columbia, were probed by using multiple methods of inquiry including sediment coring combined with (210)Pb dating, a principal components analysis of elemental composition of sediments, arsenic speciation, bioaccessibility, and toxicity testing. The quantification of arsenic inputs from anthropogenic sources was not trivial because a variety of processes redistribute the element throughout lakes. However, elevated arsenic and sulfate concentrations in Long Lake, a lake that receives arsenic from a seep, suggest that this lake is influenced by mine operations. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra reveal similar arsenic speciation for all sediments within the studied lakes. Bioaccessibility tests, which in this study were used to approximate the solubility and availability of arsenic to benthic organisms, indicate moderate bioaccessibility of arsenic in sediments (7.9-35%). Toxicity testing indicates that not all benthic organisms should be used for evaluating arsenic toxicity, and suggests that the amphipod, Corophium volutator, shows promise as a candidate for widespread use for arsenic sediment toxicity testing.
authors.affiliation: Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Maeve M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Moriarty
authors.forename: Vivian W-M
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Longpeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Combs
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Krupp
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feldmann
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Reimer
mesh_terms: D033304:Amphipoda / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D001955:British Columbia; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D060106:Lakes / Q000032:analysis; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D056928:X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Arsenic; Bioaccessibility; Coal mining; Sediment; Toxicity testing; XANES