Trace elements in berries collected near upgraders and open pit mines in the Athabasca Bituminous Sands Region (ABSR): Distinguishing atmospheric dust deposition from plant uptake.

There are ongoing concerns regarding environmental emissions of trace elements (TEs) from bitumen mining and upgrading in the Athabasca Bituminous Sands Region (ABSR). Depending on their physical and chemical forms, elevated concentrations of potentially toxic TEs in berries could pose a health risk to local indigenous communities because native fruits are an important part of their traditional diet. The objective of this study was to distinguish between aerial deposition of TEs versus plant uptake, in cranberries, lingonberries, and blueberries growing in the ABSR.

A geochemical perspective on the natural abundance and predominant sources of trace elements in cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccus) from remote bogs in the Boreal region of northern Alberta, Canada.

Trace elements in native cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus) were compared with the underlying Sphagnum moss on which it grows, from two remote ombrotrophic (rain-fed) peat bogs in northern Alberta, Canada. The purpose of the comparison was to distinguish between dust inputs to the berries versus plant uptake from the substrate, and to determine the natural abundance of trace elements in native berries. Using Al as an indicator of the abundance of soil-derived mineral particles, the abundance of dust on the surface of the berries is 20 to 29× lower than that of the substrate (moss).