PRESENCE OF AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS IN THE WILDLIFE OF NORTHERN QUEBEC

As part of the environmental impact studies of the Great Whale and the Nottaway-Broadback-Rupert (NBR) hydroelectric projects, Hydro-Quebec collected data on the occurrence and levels of several contaminants pr esent in wildlife from both regions between 1989 and 1991. The analyse s performed included metals (mercury, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, lead , nickel and copper), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs as arochlors or the sum of 20-40 congeners) and organochlorine pesticides such as hexa chlorobenzene (HCB), DDT, DDE, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), chlordane, mirex and dieldrin. Species sampled included fish (freshwater and mar ine), birds (waterfowl, gull and ptarmigan), terrestrial mammals (mart en, mink and hare) and marine mammals (freshwater and marine seals, be lugas). Most laboratory analyses were carried out on both muscle and l iver tissues, but some were conducted on other tissues as well: feathe rs, eggs and blubber. The results indicate that numerous airborne cont aminants were present in the wildlife of both the Great Whale and the NBR study areas and that their level of contamination was similar to t hat of other northern environments. Total mercury in muscle was high i n piscivorous fish, birds and mammals (terrestrial and marine). We obs erved significant levels of cadmium and lead in the livers of some her bivorous terrestrial animals, such as ptarmigans and hares. Among the organochlorine contaminants analyzed, levels of PCBs and DDE in pisciv orous birds (mergansers and loons) and in marine mammals (seals and be lugas) were high. For some contaminants, such as mercury, cadmium, lea d, PCBs and DDE, the levels observed in some species or tissues could be considered worrisome with regard to public health, if those species or tissues constitute an important part of traditional native diets.