Proceedings of the Conference on Mercury in Eastern Canada & the Northeast States

Table of Contents

FOREWARD

1) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

3) ORAL PRESENTATIONS

1) Overview of the Northeast States & Eastern Canadian Provinces Mercury Study: A Framework for Action, M. Round

2) Atmospheric Mercury in Ontario,P. Blanchard; F. Froude; B. Martin

3) Automated Instrument Designed to Measure Hg0 and Reactive Gaseous Mercury in Near Real Time: Design and Operational Characteristics, R.K. Stevens; F.H. Schaedlich; D.R. Schneeberger; E. Prestbo; S. Lindberg; G. Keeler

4) Air-Surface Exchange of Gaseous Mercury from Gold Mine Tailings in the Atlantic Region, S. Beauchamp; R. Tordon; H. Wong; F. Boudala; Folkins; J. Witte

5) Total Mercury in Air and Precipitation at Two Rural Sites in Atlantic Canada, S. Beauchamp & R. Tordon

6) Mercury Deposition and Ambient Concentrations in New England: Results and Plans for the Four-Site MIC-B Network, A. VanArsdale; L. Alter; G. Keeler

7) Elevated Mercury Inputs to Urban Lakes from Local Emission Sources and Watershed Runoff: Evidence from Dated Sediment Cores from 50 Minnesota Lakes, E.B. Swain; D.R. Engstrom; S.J. Balogh

8) Dissolved and Particulate Mercury in Hydroelectric Reservoirs of Northern Québec, S. Montgomery & M. Lucotte

9) Export of Methylmercury Downstream from Reservoirs, A. Tremblay; R. Schetagne; J.-F. Doyon; J.-J. Fournier

10) The Relationship Between Organic Carbon, pH, Total Mercury and Location in Atlantic Canada Lakes, T. Clair; N. Burgess; G. Brun; D. Leger

11) Mercury Pathways and Trophic Interactions in New Brunswick Lakes, E. Barry; A. Curry, N. Burgess; A. Bielak

12) Mercury Uptake in Aquatic Species from the Richibucto Estuary, C. Surette; G. Brun; V. Mallet

13) Evolution of Mercury Levels in Fish (1978-1996) at the La Grande Hydroelectric Complex, Quebec, Canada, R. Schetagne; R. Verdon; J.-F. Doyon

14) Mercury and Reproductive Success of Common Loons Breeding in the Maritime Provinces, N. Burgess; Dave Evers; J. Kaplan; M. Duggan; J. Kerekes

15) Behavioral Toxicology of Breeding Common Loons Exposed to Elevated Levels of Mercury in Atlantic Canada, J. Nocera & P. Taylor

16) Application of Site-specific Environmental Fate and Food-Chain Models for Mercury and Hydrophobic Organics in Western Canada: Potential Applications in Eastern Canada, F.C. Gobas & E. M. Sunderland

17) Application of the Regional Mercury Cycling Model to Lakes in Wisconsin, Ontario and Florida: Factors Affecting Fish Mercury Concentrations, R.C. Harris; C. Pollman; C.J. Watras; J.W.M Rudd; D. Porcella

18) Assessing Risk of Mercury to the Common Loon in New England, D. Evers; P. Reaman; D. Major; Bill Hanson; Bob Poppenga

1) Risk Assessment for Mercury in Health Canada - Development of the Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake (pTDI) Value, M.M. Feeley, and M.-T. Lo

2) ATSDR's Health Guidance for Mercury, C. de Rosa

3) Derivation of the U.S. EPA's Reference Dose for Methylmercury, G. Rice; K. Mahaffey; J. Swartout; R. Schoeny

4) Panel Discussion on Tolerable Daily Intake/Reference Dose for Mercury,(Panel Members: C. de Rosa; M. Feeley; D. Brown; G. Muckle; G. Rice)

5) Emerging Roles of the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network, H. Vaughan

6) What Did We Learn from the Child Development-Mercury Studies, G. Muckle

7) Predicting Exposure: US EPA Mercury Report to Congress, G. Rice; K. Mahaffey; B. Lyon

8) Mercury in the Traditional Diet and its Health Impacts on Indigenous Peoples in Canada, L. Chan

9) The Rationale for State Fish Advisories in Relation to EPA, FDA and ATSDR Guidelines for Methylmercury Intake, D. Brown

10) Implications of the Reference Dose for Methylmercury for Canadian Aboriginal Communities, with Particular Reference to the James Bay Cree, A. Penn

1) New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Mercury Action Plan, J. Shope

2) Mercury in Maine's Environment, E. Parr-Doering

3) Looking for Innovative Strategies to Reduce Mercury Contamination in Minnesota, C. A. Andrews; E.B. Swain; R. J. McCarron; S.; D. Clausen

4) Canadian-Wide Standards for Mercury, Ian Smith

5) The North American Regional Action Plan for Mercury, A. Hamilton & L. Trip

6) Waste Combustor Emission Reduction Rules, Judy Shope

7) Reduction of Mercury Emissions with Modern Pollution Control Equipment: Lessons Learned, M. Zannes; F. Ferraro; A. Szurgot; B. Bahor

8) The Role of Mercury Containing Lamps in Global Climate Change, P.A. Bleasby

9) Guest Speaker: Mercury Perspectives, Hon. G. Devereux

10) NEMA Analysis of Mercury Levels in Post Consumer Batteries in the United States, C.D. Barrett

11) Mercury Reduction Strategies in Canadian Hospitals - What We Have Learned, Bruce Lourie

12) Status of Canadian Mercury Cell Chlor-Alkali Industry: Mercury Emissions and Status of Facilities, 1935-1996, L.J. Trip & M. Thorleifson

13) United Nations ECE Heavy Metals Protocol, L.J. Trip

14) Canadian Tissue Residue Guidelines for Methylmercury for the Protection of Wildlife Consumers of Aquatic Biota, P.-Y. Caux; R.A. Kent; B. Miskimmin

15) EPA's Mercury Action Plan, J. Weiss

4) POSTER SESSION

1) Development of an Environmental Fate and Food Web Bioaccumulation Model for Mercury in Passamaquoddy Bay, NB, E. M. Sunderland & F. A.P.C. Gobas

2) Mercury Flux Measurements Across Air/Water and Air/Soil Interfaces at Background Sites in Kejimkujik National Park, F. S. Boudala; I. Folkins; S. Beauchamp; R. Tordon; J. Neima

3) A Canada-Wide GIS Analysis of Methylmercury in Fish - Exploring Relative Risks to Wildlife and Human Health, R.A. Kent; P.-Y. Caux; R. Allan; R. Post

4) Mercury in Precipitation Along the St. Lawrence River, M. Pilote; L. Poissant; R. Brulotte

5) Potential Sources of Atmospheric Total Gaseous Mercury in the St. Lawrence River Valley, L. Poissant

6) Inventory Of Anthropogenic Sources Of Mercury In Atlantic Canada, C. C. Doiron; C.G. Roberts; L.A. Rutherford

7) Mercury Concentrations In Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens) From Lakes In New Brunswick And Nova Scotia: Preliminary Findings, L.A. Rutherford; G.R.J. Julien; R.E. Mroz; G. Brun; F. Hebert; J. Arsenault

8) Development of a Service Analytical Method for the Determination of Methylmercury in Sediments, D.H.J. Anthony & A.D. Toms

9) Mercury Uptake in Fish from the Richibucto Estuary, G.L. Brun; V.N. Mallet; C. Surette.

10) Effects of a Peat Spill on the Uptake of Mercury in Estuarine Species, Richibucto, New Brunswick, C. Surette; G.L. Brun; V.N. Mallet

11) Research on the Inputs and Distribution of Mercury Species in the Coastal Waters of the Maritime Region, J. Dalziel

12) Developing International Networks and Partners in the Study of Mercury: Furthering the Concept of an Americas Mercury Deposition Network, W. Pilgrim

13) Observatons on Methylmercury in Freshwater Fish: Predicting Associated Risks, W. Pilgrim

14) Effects of Mercury Exposure in Common Loons in Québec, L. Champoux; J. Kaplan; D. Masse

15) Live Mercury Display:Automated Instrument Measure Hg0 and Reactive Gaseous Mercury in Near Real Time: Design and Operational Characteristics, F. H. Schaedlich; D. R. Schneeberger; R. K. Stevens; E. Prestbo; S. Lindberg; Gerald Keeler.

5) PARTCIPANTS LIST

The mercury issue continues to present challenges to natural resource management, combining as it does aspects resembling both the issue of man-made toxic organic contaminants and of naturally occurring substances such as phosphorous where the environmental problem relates to excessive concentrations or releases from natural storage. Further, the emerging pattern of association with emissions from energy generation or waste incineration is a familiar one to those in Eastern North America who continue to wrestle with the acidic deposition issue.

Given the complexities of the issue, the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) recognised early on that concerted management action would require compelling science and broad understanding and so has continued to develop partnerships with, and lend support to, researchers, programs and conferences such as this one.

With sessions on science, human health and regulatory policy, this conference has successfully brought together the many facets of the mercury issue and greatly advanced the needed understanding. My personal congratulations to the organisers, the presenters and the participants.

Dr Hague Vaughan
Director
Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN)