Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Micropollutants are substances detected in various environmental compartments (water, sediment, biota) at extremely low concentrations (ppb to ppt level). Despite huge efforts in characterizing their impacts on aquatic ecosystems, more emerging micropollutants (e.g., per- and polyfluorinated alkylated substances [PFAS], micro-and-nanoplastics [MNPs]),  continue to be identified, warranting additional research and monitoring. Their impact is even more pronounced in rural/Indigenous communities in Canada due to existing water insecurities brought by current and historical exposure to water pollutants and insufficient infrastructure and resources to manage and maintain water and wastewater systems. This proposal requests support to fund the purchase of an analytical instrument (liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, LC-MS/MS) that will  address the following gaps related to micropollutant research: (1) Scarcity of multi-compartmental data, particular tissue concentrations in exposed organism (fish) that can act as better surrogate parameter to assess observed effects; (2) Limited data on micropollutant exposure in rural/Indigenous communities in Canada, (3) Limited availability of cost-effective, low-carbon technologies for effective treatment of both sewage and emerging micropollutants, and (4) Poor understanding of micropollutant and anthropogenic colloids (e.g., MNPs) interaction and ecotoxicological implications related to co-contaminant exposure.