Priority Substances List Assessment Report for Releases from Primary and Secondary Copper Smelters and Copper Refineries - Releases from Primary and Secondary Zinc Smelters and Zinc Refineries

Environment Canada
Health Canada
2001
ISBN: 0-662-29871-3
Cat. No.: En40-215/62E

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(919K)

Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999

Table of Contents

• List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Synopsis
• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 Summary of Information Critical to Assessment of "Toxic" Under CEPA 1999
  • 2.1 Identity
    • 2.1.1 Definitions and scope
      • 2.1.1.1 Smelters and refineries
      • 2.1.1.2 Releases
    • 2.1.2 Facilities included in assessments
    • 2.1.3 Release constituents examined
  • 2.2 Entry characterization
    • 2.2.1 Releases to air
      • 2.2.1.1 Sulphur dioxide
      • 2.2.1.2 Metals
      • 2.2.1.3 Particulate matter
      • 2.2.1.4 Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and volatile organic compounds
    • 2.2.2 Releases to water
      • 2.2.2.1 Canadian Copper Refinery
      • 2.2.2.2 Canadian Electrolytic Zinc
      • 2.2.2.3 Cominco Trail Operations
  • 2.3 Exposure characterization
    • 2.3.1 Releases to air
      • 2.3.1.1 Sulphur dioxide
        • 2.3.1.1.1 Fate of sulphur dioxide in air
        • 2.3.1.1.2 Concentrations of sulphur dioxide in air
        • 2.3.1.1.3 Deposition of sulphate from air
      • 2.3.1.2 Metals
        • 2.3.1.2.1 Fate of metals in air
        • 2.3.1.2.2 Deposition of metals from air - empirical
        • 2.3.1.2.3 Deposition of metals from air - modelled
        • 2.3.1.2.4 Concentrations of metals in ambient air
      • 2.3.1.3 Particulate matter
        • 2.3.1.3.1 Fate of particulate matter in air
        • 2.3.1.3.2 Concentrations of particulate matter in ambient air
    • 2.3.2 Releases to water
      • 2.3.2.1 Fate and concentrations
        • 2.3.2.1.1 Canadian Copper Refinery
        • 2.3.2.1.2 Canadian Electrolytic Zinc
        • 2.3.2.1.3 Cominco-Trail Operations
  • 2.4 Effects characterization
    • 2.4.1 Ecotoxicology
      • 2.4.1.1 Releases to air
        • 2.4.1.1.1 Sulphur dioxide
        • 2.4.1.1.2 Sulphate deposition
        • 2.4.1.1.3 Metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd, As)
      • 2.4.1.2 Releases to water
        • 2.4.1.2.1 Whole-effluent toxicity
        • 2.4.1.2.2 Derivation of CTVs and ENEVs
        • 2.4.1.2.3 Environmental effects monitoring
    • 2.4.2 Abiotic atmospheric effects
      • 2.4.2.1 Photochemical ozone creation
      • 2.4.2.2 Stratospheric ozone depletion
      • 2.4.2.3 Climate change
    • 2.4.3 Effects on human health - epidemiological studies of populations in the vicinity of copper smelters and refineries and zinc plants
      • 2.4.3.1 Studies of mortality and of cancer incidence
      • 2.4.3.2 Non-neoplastic effects
      • 2.4.3.3 Effects on reproduction and development
• 3.0 Aseessment oF "TOXIC" Under CEPA 1999
  • 3.1 CEPA 1999 64(a): Environment
    • 3.1.1 Copper smelters and refineries
      • 3.1.1.1 Releases to air
        • 3.1.1.1.1 Sulphur dioxide
        • 3.1.1.1.2 Deposited sulphate
        • 3.1.1.1.3 Deposited metals
      • 3.1.1.2 Releases to water (Noranda-CCR)
    • 3.1.2 Zinc plants
      • 3.1.2.1 Releases to air
        • 3.1.2.1.1 Sulphur dioxide
        • 3.1.2.1.2 Deposited sulphate
        • 3.1.2.1.3 Deposited metals
      • 3.1.2.2 Releases to water (Noranda-CEZinc and Cominco-Trail)
  • 3.2 CEPA 1999 64(b): Environment upon which life depends
  • 3.3 CEPA 1999 64(c): Human health
    • 3.3.1 Exposure assessment
    • 3.3.2 Effects assessment
      • 3.3.2.1 Exposure-response characterization for selected components of emissions from copper smelters and refineries and zinc plants
        • 3.3.2.1.1 Arsenic
        • 3.3.2.1.2 Cadmium
        • 3.3.2.1.3 Chromium
        • 3.3.2.1.4 Nickel
        • 3.3.2.1.5 Lead
        • 3.3.2.1.6 Sulphur dioxide
        • 3.3.2.1.7 Respirable particulate matter (PM₁₀)
    • 3.3.3 Risk characterization
      • 3.3.3.1 Arsenic, cadmium, chromium and nickel
      • 3.3.3.2 Lead
      • 3.3.3.3 Sulphur dioxide
      • 3.3.3.4 Particulate matter
    • 3.3.4 Uncertainties and degree of confidence in human health risk characterization
  • 3.4 Conclusions
    • 3.4.1 Releases from copper smelters and refineries
    • 3.4.2 Releases from zinc plants
  • 3.5 Considerations for follow-up (further action)
• 4.0 References
• Appendix A Search Strategies Employed for Identification of Relevant Data

List of Tables

• Table 1 Copper production facilities whose releases were assessed
• Table 2 Zinc production facilities whose releases were assessed
• Table 3 Releases of SO₂ to the atmosphere in 1995
• Table 4 Releases of metals to the atmosphere in 1995
• Table 5 Releases of total particulate (TP) matter, particulate matter less than or equal to 10 mm (PM₁₀) and particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 mm (PM_2.5) to the atmosphere in 1995
• Table 6 Releases of carbon dioxide (C_O2), nitrous oxide (N₂O), methane (CH₄) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the atmosphere in 1995
• Table 7 Annual loading rates of effluent components
• Table 8 Factors applied to annual effluent loadings to estimate maximum short-term loading rates (maximum monthly and four-day mean loadings)
• Table 9 Concentrations of metals and other constituents in undiluted effluents
• Table 10 Growing season average SO₂ concentrations at monitoring stations located near copper and zinc production facilities
• Table 11 One-hour average SO₂ concentrations during the growing season at monitoring stations located near copper and zinc production facilities
• Table 12 Annual summary of 24-hour ambient air concentrations of SO₂ near copper smelters and refineries and zinc plants in Canada
• Table 13 Wet sulphate deposition rates in selected regions of eastern Canada for 1990-1993 estimated using the Integrated Assessment Model (IAM)
• Table 14 Wet sulphate deposition rates at monitoring stations located near two of the receptor areas considered in deposition modelling
• Table 15 Deposition of soluble metals in the vicinity of copper and zinc production facilities - based on dustfall sampling
• Table 16 Percent contribution of dry metal deposition to total metal deposition
• Table 17 Deposition of soluble metals in the vicinity of copper and zinc production facilities - based on total suspended particulate sampling
• Table 18 Deposition of soluble metals in the vicinity of copper and zinc production facilities - based on snowpack and combined ("wet plus dry") deposition sampling
• Table 19 Water-soluble metal fractions used in the estimation of bioavailable deposited metals
• Table 20 Estimation of annual regional background soluble metal deposition for the Canadian Shield
• Table 21 Mass emission rates of trace metals used in dispersion modelling assessment of releases to air from generic facilities
• Table 22 Trace metal release partitioning among high- and low-elevation and fugitive releases to air
• Table 23 Maximum distance from facility where the modelled total soluble deposition rate exceeds the critical load
• Table 24 Annual average concentration of As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb in ambient air near copper smelters and refineries and zinc plants in Canada
• Table 25 Summary of estimated or measured concentrations of PM₁₀ (m g/m³) near copper smelters and refineries and zinc plants in Canada
• Table 26 Modelled annual average exposure concentrations for 1995 effluent discharges from the MUC-WWTP, and the percentage of each concentration attributable to CCR
• Table 27 Modelled maximum short-term exposure concentrations for 1995 effluent discharges from CEZinc, and the percentage of each concentration attributable to CEZinc
• Table 28 Modelled maximum short-term exposure concentrations for 1998 effluent discharges from Cominco-Trail, and the percentage of each concentration attributable to Cominco-Trail zinc operations
• Table 29 Acute and chronic CTVs and ENEVs for SO₂ derived for terrestrial vegetation
• Table 30 Background soil pore water metal concentrations and ENEVs derived for terrestrial endpoints
• Table 31 Critical loads of soluble metal for different terrestrial assessment endpoints
• Table 32 Background surface water metal concentrations and ENEVs derived for aquatic endpoints
• Table 33 Critical loads of soluble metal for different aquatic assessment endpoints
• Table 34 Results of whole-effluent toxicity tests
• Table 35 Estimated No-Effects Values (ENEVs) for aquatic organisms exposed to effluents
• Table 36 Risk quotients for exposure of vegetation to ambient SO₂ as a function of distance from copper and zinc production facilities
• Table 37 Risk quotients for wet sulphate deposition for four receptor areas in eastern Canada
• Table 38 Risk quotients for metal deposition as a function of distance from copper and zinc production facilities
• Table 39 Risk quotients for biota in the St. Lawrence River based on exposures calculated for annual average loadings from the MUC-WWTP, which receives effluent from the Noranda-CCR facility
• Table 40 Risk quotients for aquatic biota based on exposures calculated for maximum monthly or four-day average effluent loadings from the Noranda CEZinc facility to the Beauharnois Canal
• Table 41 Risk quotients for aquatic biota based on exposures calculated for maximum monthly or four-day average effluent loadings from the Cominco-Trail facility to the Columbia River
• Table 42 Summary of adverse health effects associated with particulate matter (epidemiological studies)
• Table 43 Total Exposure Potency Index for lung cancer mortality at sites near Canadian copper smelters and refineries and zinc plants

List of Figures

• Figure 1 Map of Trail, B.C., showing the outfalls and sampling locations considered in the assessment of aquatic releases from the Cominco facility
• Figure 2 Fiftieth percentile of total soluble deposition rates (mg/m²/a) estimated by dispersion modelling for copper emitted from a generic copper smelter
• Figure 3 Ninety-fifth percentile of total soluble deposition rates (mg/m²/a) estimated by dispersion modelling for copper emitted from a generic copper smelter