Long-term effects of an early-life exposure of fathead minnows to sediments containing bitumen. Part II: Behaviour, reproduction, and gonad histopathology.

The oil sands area of northern Alberta has river sediments that contain natural bitumen. Eggs and fish in these rivers may be exposed to bitumen-related chemicals early in life. This paper assesses a short embryo-larval fish exposure to oil sands sediment and follows the fish behaviour as they mature in clean water and examines their breeding success as adults (5 months afterwards).

Effect of Elderly People's Perceived Value on their Adherence to Outdoor Exercise: The Intermediary Role of Motivation for Active Social Adaptation.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the perceived value of outdoor activities and exercise persistence among elderly Chinese individuals. Specifically, the study aims to explore whether motivation for active social adaptation mediates this relationship. Three hundred twenty-five subjects were randomly chosen and invited to complete 3 questionnaires about the perceived value of outdoor activity, the motivation for active social adaptation, and the adherence to physical exercise.

The acute toxicity of bitumen-influenced groundwaters from the oil sands region to aquatic organisms.

The extraction of surface mined bitumen from oil sands deposits in northern Alberta, Canada produces large quantities of liquid tailings waste, termed oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), which are stored in large tailings ponds. OSPW-derived chemicals from several tailings ponds migrating past containment structures and through groundwater systems pose a concern for surface water contamination. The present study investigated the toxicity of groundwater from near-field sites adjacent to a tailings pond with OPSW influence and far-field sites with only natural oil sands bitumen influence.

Long-term effects of an early-life exposure of fathead minnows to sediments containing bitumen. Part I: Survival, deformities, and growth.

The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of a short exposure to natural sediments within the Athabasca oil sand formation to critical stages of embryo-larval development in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Three different sediments were used: Ref sediment from the upper Steepbank River tested at 3 g/L (containing 12.2 ng/g ∑PAHs), and two bitumen-rich sediments tested at 1 and 3 g/L; one from the Ells River (Ells downstream, 6480 ng/g ∑PAHs) and one from the Steepbank River (Stp downstream, 4660 ng/g ∑PAHs).

Meltwater from snow contaminated by oil sands emissions is toxic to larval fish, but not spring river water.

Unlabelled: To assess the toxicity of winter-time atmospheric deposition in the oil sands mining area of Northern Alberta, embryo-larval fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) were exposed to snowmelt samples. Snow was collected in 2011-2014 near (<7km) oil sands open pit mining operations in the Athabasca River watershed and at sites far from (>25km) oil sands mining. Snow was shipped frozen back to the laboratory, melted, and amended with essential ions prior to testing.