NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region, North Slave Region, South Slave Region

Tags: physical sciences, water quality, public health, cancer, contaminant

Objective(s): To evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the water and sediment of Great Slave Lake and to identify the source of PBDEs.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5251. The proposed project will evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the water and sediment of Great Slave Lake and surrounding communities, landfills, drinking water, and industries to identify the source of PBDEs. The concentration and distribution of PBDEs will be determined by field sampling in the selected sites and sample analysis in the Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control Laboratory (NRPOP) at Memorial. If needed, some samples will be analyzed by the Pacific and Yukon Environmental Laboratory of the Environment Canada and Climate Change (ECCC) in Vancouver. Microbial biodegradation of PBDEs is one of the most important processes to remediate PBDEs. The microbial communities are very important to the water quality and the remediation potential of PBDEs. The microbial communities in the water and sediments nearby Great Slave Lake will be analyzed and compared with the historical data to evaluate the impacts of PBDEs on the microbial communities and the possible biotransformation pathways of PBDEs. To meet the research objectives, surface water, benthic sediment, and biota samples will be collected from the water body and associated sediments, communities (e.g., Yellowknife, Lutselk'e, Fort Resolution, Hay River, Behchoko`, Ndilo, and Dettah), landfills, drinking water and industries surrounding the Great Slave Lake to analyze the presence and fate of PBDEs. The PBDEs in water will be collected using amber glass bottles and stored at -20 °C in the dark. PBDEs in sediments will be collected with a standard Van Veen grab sampler and placed in an aluminum tray that will be wrapped with aluminum foil and will be stored at -20 °C. The samples will be transported to the labs in NRPOP and ECCC and analyzed using GC-MS/MS. Microorganisms in water and sediments will be collected and transferred to the lab and performed RNA extraction in triplicate. Both metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data will be subjected to bioinformatics data processing and compared with initial the community. The impacts of seasonality and flooding on the PBDEs and community health will be analyzed based on the PBDEs variations and microbial communities before and after the flooding and seasons, associated changes in water levels, hydrological information, and social information. Attending the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy Implementation Workshop (November 15-18, 2021, attended by over 100 participants including the representatives of the indigenous communities, local governments, industry, and research institutions), our team members recognized some important local needs regarding environmental issues such as water and food security and related community health and impact of flooding. These issues have been reported to be closely related to PBDEs. Following the workshop, the researchers had several meetings with several indigenous communities (e.g., NSMA, Gwich’in Settlement Area, and Sahtu Renewable Resources Board)) and local governments (e.g., NWT and NL) through virtual meetings and emails. Particularly, the researchers from the NPROP Lab of Memorial University had meetings with Bruce Hanna from the Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) and Jessica Hurtubise from the North Slave Metis Alliance (NSMA) to discuss what we could do to help identify and resolve the environmental issues. Consequently, we partnered together and worked out the proposed idea and work plan as presented in the proposal. During the implementation of the project, the researchers will work together, especially with the NSMA’s suggestions for contacts with the associated organizations, to engage the northern communities surrounding Great Slave Lake (e.g., Akaitcho and Tli?cho). For example, members from local communities will be sought for advice and help to allocate the appropriate water and sediment sampling sites with NSMA’s suggestions for contacts with the associated organizations. The team will invite and hire local people (eps., students from local high schools or colleges to work as interns) to participate in the sampling and on-site analysis work with suggestions from NSMA. The research team will understand the knowledge of local environmental conditions and concerns as well as social and cultural considerations in the research, training, and education activities, with the help of NSMA. The research team will ensure a good community update meeting/engagement session and try to brainstorm ways to have a handful of members contribute to the project throughout. Members from the communities will be engaged and work with the team members throughout the project activities, such as planning, sampling, and monitoring, data collection and analysis, meetings and training, reporting, result dissemination, and future collaboration planning. Meanwhile, Indigenous individuals (esp. students) will be trained and help select the timing of sampling after extreme climates, such as flooding, when the sampling activities are safe. Meanwhile, the assistants will accept the training regarding the sampling, and the well-trained individuals will independently accomplish (weekly or monthly) sampling activities in the research areas, especially in the winter season or at specific timing after extreme weather (flooding), when the environment of the sampling is safe. The team expects and will make efforts to develop a long-term partnership and grow trust with local communities through this project and associated educational and training activities. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from April 28, 2023 to December 31, 2023.