Review of Health Effects of Naphthenic Acids: Data Gaps and Implications for Understanding Human Health Risk
Oil sands mining involves removal of water from the Athabasca River basin in northeastern Alberta. Water produced during the extraction of bitumen from oil sands is referred to as oil sands process water (OSPW). Information on the likelihood of human exposure to OSPW derived naphthenic acids and tox...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/adf85105-0c31-42ed-984d-c4db8e15071a https://doi.org/10.7939/R3C53F466 |
| Summary: | Oil sands mining involves removal of water from the Athabasca River basin in northeastern Alberta. Water produced during the extraction of bitumen from oil sands is referred to as oil sands process water (OSPW). Information on the likelihood of human exposure to OSPW derived naphthenic acids and toxicological (dose-response) data are needed to have a complete understanding of the human health risk of these compounds. A review of literature was undertaken as a first step in framing potential human health risk associated with exposure to OSPW-derived naphthenic acids in surface water. Specifically, this review focused on chemical characteristics of, and potential toxicological effects related to, OSPW derived naphthenic acids. General Chemical Characteristics of Naphthenic Acid Mixtures in OSPW There are several important findings of the review with regard to chemical characteristics of naphthenic acid mixtures in oil sand process waters: • OSPW represents a complex mixture of naphthenic acids along with other organic chemicals that can also contribute to potential toxicity of the mixture. • There is a difference in the distribution of organic compounds and their contribution to potential toxicity of OSPW that is fresh (i.e., OSPW recently produced from the oil sands extraction process) versus OSPW that is allowed to age (i.e., OSPW that has been aged for a number of years in inactive storage ponds or pit lakes). Aged OSPW contains higher molecular weight, multi ring naphthenic acids that have been shown to be more resistant to microbial degradation and less potent in toxicity to biological organisms. • An understanding of the forms and composition of OSPW derived naphthenic acids and other organic compounds present in fresh and aged OSPW, and the effect of aging and aging environment on this composition, and variation in OSPW composition across oil sands processes is incomplete. Human Exposure Evidence OSPW-derived naphthenic acids are not used by the human population and the potential for human exposure in the ... |
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