Advances in Distinguishing Groundwater Influenced by Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) from Natural Bitumen-Influenced Groundwaters.

The objective of this study was to advance analytical methods for detecting oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) seepage from mining containments and discriminating any such seepage from the natural bitumen background in groundwaters influenced by the Alberta McMurray formation. Improved sampling methods and quantitative analyses of two groups of monoaromatic acids were employed to analyze OSPW and bitumen-affected natural background groundwaters for source discrimination. Both groups of monoaromatic acids showed significant enrichment in OSPW, while ratios of O2/O4 containing heteroatomic ion classes of acid extractable organics (AEOs) did not exhibit diagnostic differences. Evaluating the monoaromatic acids to track a known plume of OSPW-affected groundwater confirmed their diagnostic abilities. A secondary objective was to assess anthropogenically derived artificial sweeteners and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as potential tracers for OSPW. Despite the discovery of acesulfame and PFAS in most OSPW samples, trace levels in groundwaters influenced by general anthropogenic activities preclude them as individual robust tracers. However, their inclusion with the other metrics employed in this study served to augment the tiered, weight of evidence methodology developed. This methodology was then used to confirm earlier findings of OSPW migrations into groundwater reaching the Athabasca River system adjacent to the reclaimed pond at Tar Island Dyke

Advances in Distinguishing Groundwater Influenced by Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) from Natural Bitumen-Influenced Groundwater

The objective of this study was to advance analytical methods for detecting oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) seepage from mining containments and discriminating any such seepage from the natural bitumen background in groundwaters influenced by the Alberta McMurray formation. Improved sampling methods and quantitative analyses of two groups of monoaromatic acids were employed to analyze OSPW and bitumen-affected natural background groundwaters for source discrimination. Both groups of monoaromatic acids showed significant enrichment in OSPW, while ratios of O /O containing heteroatomic ion classes of acid extractable organics (AEOs) did not exhibit diagnostic differences. Evaluating the monoaromatic acids to track a known plume of OSPW-affected groundwater confirmed their diagnostic abilities. A secondary objective was to assess anthropogenically derived artificial sweeteners and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as potential tracers for OSPW. Despite the discovery of acesulfame and PFAS in most OSPW samples, trace levels in groundwaters influenced by general anthropogenic activities preclude them as individual robust tracers. However, their inclusion with the other metrics employed in this study served to augment the tiered, weight of evidence methodology developed. This methodology was then used to confirm earlier findings of OSPW migrations into groundwater reaching the Athabasca River system adjacent to the reclaimed pond at Tar Island Dyke

Prioritization of sites for sediment remedial action at Randle Reef, Hamilton Harbour

<p>Hamilton Harbour, an enclosed embayment at the western end of Lake Ontario, was designated as an Area of Concern in 1985 under the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative. The harbour has been disturbed by wastes from steel industries, municipal wastewater discharges, and urban runoff. The area of the harbour known as Randle Reef has the largest volume of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminated sediment on the Great Lakes and will be undergoing a major remediation project. An engineered containment facility will be constructed on top of the most contaminated sediment and surrounding sediments will be dredged and placed inside the engineered containment facility, or capped. To determine where remediation was required, areas were prioritized according to toxicity and contaminant concentrations. Although benthic invertebrate community assessment can be the best indicator of in situ toxicity, this was problematic in the harbour due to lack of appropriate reference areas for comparison and potential effects of other stressors (e.g. disturbances of sediments from ship traffic, seasonal low hypolimnetic oxygen concentrations). Initial prioritization of areas for remediation was therefore based on toxicity to benthic invertebrates and the associated contaminant levels. In 2002, 80 sites were sampled and laboratory bioassays conducted with the Amphipod <i>Hyalella azteca</i> and the Mayfly <i>Hexagenia</i> spp<i>.</i> Initial site prioritizations were established based on: (1) high contamination and toxicity; (2) high contamination and no/low toxicity; (3) low contamination and toxicity; and (4) low contamination and no toxicity. Final prioritizations considered study design and area considerations as well as additional sediment data obtained to address data gaps. Of the 80 sites, 79% were classed in a priority subgroup, while remaining sites were deemed non-priority.</p

Patient perspectives on the promptness and quality of care of road traffic incident victims in Peru: a cross-sectional, active surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: Road injuries are the second-leading cause of disease and injury in the Andean region of South America. Adequate management of road traffic crash victims is important to prevent and reduce deaths and serious long-term injuries. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the promptness of health care services provided to those injured in road traffic incidents (RTIs) and the satisfaction with those services during the pre-hospital and hospital periods. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study with active surveillance to recruit participants in emergency departments at eight health care facilities in three Peruvian cities: a large metropolitan city (Lima) and two provincial cities (an urban center in the southern Andes and an urban center in the rainforest region), between August and September 2009. The main outcomes of interest were promptness of care, measured by time between injury and each service offered, as well as patient satisfaction measured by the Service Quality (SERVQUAL) survey. We explored the association between outcomes and city, type of health care facility (HCF), and type of provider. RESULTS: We recruited 644 adults seeking care for RTIs. This active surveillance strategy yielded 34% more events than anticipated, suggesting under-reporting in traditional registries. Median response time between a RTI and any care at a HCF was 33 minutes overall and only 62% of participants received professional care during the initial "golden" hour after the RTI. After adjustment for various factors, there was strong evidence of higher global dissatisfaction levels among those receiving care at public HCFs compared to private ones (odds ratio (OR) 5.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.88-13.54). This difference was not observed when provincial sites were compared to Lima (OR 1.41, 95% CI 0.42-4.70). CONCLUSIONS: Response time to RTIs was adequate overall, though a large proportion of RTI victims could have received more prompt care. Overall, dissatisfaction was high, mainly at public institutions indicating much need for improvements in service provision

Consumption of Dietary Resistant Starch Partially Corrected the Growth Pattern Despite Hyperglycemia and Compromised Kidney Function in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

We previously demonstrated that feeding of dietary resistant starch (RS) prior to the induction of diabetes delayed the progression of diabetic nephropathy and maintained vitamin D balance in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic (T1D) rats. Here, we examined the impact of RS on kidney function and vitamin D homeostasis following STZ injection. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were administered STZ and fed a standard diet containing cornstarch or 20, 10, or 5% RS for 4 weeks. T1D rats fed 10 and 20% RS, but not 5% RS, gained more weight than cornstarch-fed rats. Yet, renal health and glucose metabolism were not improved by RS. Our data suggest that RS normalized growth patterns in T1D rats after diabetes induction in a dose-dependent manner despite having no effect on blood glucose and vitamin D balances. Future interventions should focus on the preventative strategies with RS in T1D