The chemical and physical characteristics of heavy metals in humus and till in the vicinity of the base metal smelter at Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada

1998 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Henderson ◽  
I. McMartin ◽  
G. E. Hall ◽  
J. B. Percival ◽  
D. A. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Base Metal ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Flin Flon ◽  
Metal Smelter

Atmospheric fallout in the vicinity of a base metal smelter at Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada

1979 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1513-1522 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Franzin ◽  
Gordon A. McFarlane ◽  
Andrew Lutz
Keyword(s):  
Base Metal ◽  
Atmospheric Fallout ◽  
Flin Flon ◽  
Metal Smelter

Impact of a base metal smelter on the geochemistry of soils of the Flin Flon region, Manitoba and Saskatchewan

1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
I McMartin ◽  
P J Henderson ◽  
E Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Base Metal ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Natural Soil ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Anthropogenic Contamination ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Total Metal ◽  
Flin Flon ◽  
Metal Smelter

The regional dispersal patterns of six trace metals (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn) emitted from the base metal smelter at Flin Flon were examined in surface soils and at depth, using an extensive regional geochemical database for humus and the underlying till. Humus is enriched in those elements emitted from the smelter, and regional dispersal patterns reflect the historical record of smelter contamination. The concentrations of the smelter metals decrease with increasing distance from the stack, until background values are reached, indicating atmospheric fallout from the smelter plume. Smelter contamination is generally restricted to the surface organic-rich horizons, and concentrations of smelter metals in till reflect the absence of significant contamination at depth in the upper C horizon of soils. The maximum radius of contamination varies among the major smelter metals, ranging from 70 km for Cd to 104 km for As. No direct relationship exists among emission, deposition, and sink concentrations, reflecting the complexity of factors influencing total metal concentrations in soils. Factors considered in this study include the natural geochemical signature of the underlying substrate, natural soil-forming processes such as biogeochemical enrichment in the surface organic layer and post-depositional mobilization of metals, and the variation in total metal concentrations among the different fractions and types of samples analysed. With increasing distance from the smelter, these factors become significant and the relative proportion of anthropogenic contamination in the surface terrestrial environment is more difficult to estimate.

An Examination of Cd, Cu, and Hg Concentrations in Livers of Northern Pike, Esox lucius, and White Sucker, Catostomus commersoni, from Five Lakes near a Base Metal Smelter at Flin Flon, Manitoba

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 1573-1578 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. McFarlane ◽  
W. G. Franzin
Keyword(s):  
Base Metal ◽  
Northern Pike ◽  
Esox Lucius ◽  
White Sucker ◽  
Catostomus Commersoni ◽  
Degree Of Contamination ◽  
Pike Esox Lucius ◽  
Flin Flon ◽  
Lake Waters ◽  
Metal Smelter

Concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Hg were examined in livers of northern pike (Esox lucius) and white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) from five lakes in the vicinity of, and receiving metal fallout from, a base metal smelter complex at Flin Flon, Manitoba. Concentrations of Cd in livers increased with increasing age in both species. Concentrations of Cu and Hg increased with age only in pike livers. The relationships of metal concentration to fish age were not consistent with the degree of contamination in lakes. Ca concentration of lake waters appeared to affect liver metal concentrations.Key words: Ca, Zn, Cu, Cd, Hg, white suckers, northern pike, bioaccumulation, smelter fallout.

Elevated Heavy Metals: A Stress on a Population of White Suckers, Catostomus commersoni, in Hamell Lake, Saskatchewan

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 963-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. McFarlane ◽  
W. G. Franzin
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Catostomus Commersoni ◽  
Egg Survival ◽  
Flin Flon ◽  
Lake Waters ◽  
Spawning Success

This study examined populations of white suckers (Catostomus commersoni), in two physically and chemically similar lakes in the vicinity of, and receiving heavy-metal fallout from, a base-metal smelter complex near Flin Flon, Manitoba. The white suckers occupying Hamell Lake, Saskatchewan, which is contaminated by Zn, Cu, and Cd, showed signs typical of a population under stress when compared with the population in Thompson Lake, Manitoba, which contains much lower levels of these metals. Hamell Lake white suckers showed greatly increased growth in length and weight, increased fecundity, and earlier age of maturation, but reduced spawning success, reduced larval and egg survival, smaller egg size, and reduced longevity compared with Thompson Lake white suckers. We attribute these differences to elevated heavy metals in Hamell Lake waters, particularly in early spring, a most critical period in the reproductive cycle of these fish. Effects of the metals on other species of fish in Hamell Lake are also discussed. Key words: heavy metals, fish, population, stress, white sucker

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