Copper SourcesUses n Copper cookware n Copper pipes

Copper

Sources/Uses n Copper cookware n Copper pipes n Dental alloys n Fungicides n Others: ice makers, industrial emissions, swimming pools, shellfish, perch, bluefish, lobster, walnuts, almonds, soybeans, wheat germ, yeast, beer, chocolate, corn oil, gelatin, liver, lamb, mushrooms, avocado, birth control pills

Adverse effects n Copper at very high levels is toxic and can cause: n n n Vomiting Diarrhea Loss of strength Cirrhosis of liver Symptoms and Diseases: Acne, allergies, alopecia, insomnia, nausea, spaciness, tooth decay, strokes, PMS, yeast infections, urinary tract infections, arthritis, anorexia, multiple sclerosis, inflammation, pancreatic dysfunction, migraines, nervousness, osteoporosis, diabetes, autism, estrogen dominance

Copper speciation n Cu(II) or the cupric ion is the most important oxidation state of copper and is generally encountered in water n Copper in the form of the cupric ion is the most bioavailable and most toxic form to aquatic organisms n Copper complexes: i. e. Cu. CO 3, Cu(OH)2, Cu. SO 4 n In water, Cu(II) binds to dissolved organics (e. g. humic or fulvic acids) n n Cu(II) ion forms stable complexes with -NH 2, -SH, and, to a lesser extent, OH groups in these organic acids Varying binding affinities with Cu(II) to inorganic and organic components in sediments and soils: n For example, Cu(II) binds strongly to hydrous manganese and iron oxides in clay and to humic acids in organic matter

Copper speciation n Cu(I) or the cuprous ion disproportionates rapidly (<1 second) in aqueous solution to form Cu(II) and Cu 0 (Cotton and Wilkinson 1980) n Only Cu(I) compounds that are stable in water are extremely insoluble ones such as Cu. Cl

Britannia Mines n Britannia mines are located approximately 51. 5 kilometres (32 miles) north of Vancouver on the eastern shore of Howe Sound n 1920 s and early 1930 s—largest producer of copper in the British Empire. n Almost 70 years of operations produced more than 50 million tonnes of ore from a volcanic massive sulphide deposit n Majority of extracted metals was copper Britannia mine, circa 1948: a world class copper producer Location and access map of the Britannia Beach mining area

Britannia Mines n Mine was operated from 1902 to 1963 by the Britannia Mining and Smelting Company Ltd. , and from 1963 to 1974 by Anaconda Mining Company n The end finally came in 1974—Anaconda Mining Company closed the mine due to rapidly rising costs, increased taxation and growing competition in marketplace

Acid Mine Drainage n Metal-rich water formed from chemical reaction between water and rocks containing sulfur-bearing minerals n Frequently comes from areas where ore- or coal mining activities have exposed rocks containing pyrite – Fe. S 2 n When pyrite, or another sulfide, is exposed it reacts with air and water to form sulfuric acid and dissolved iron: e. g. Fe. S 2 + 2 H 2 O + 3 O 2 = 2 H 2 SO 4 + Fe 3+ (aq) n Mine drainage typically becomes very acidic (low p. H) n As the p. H of the water is lowered, heavy metal ions can also be released

Aerial photograph of Britannia Beach and Britannia Creek at Howe Sound PLUME

Main problems with AMD n Contaminated drinking water (heavy metals – carcinogens) n Disrupted growth and reproduction of aquatic plants and animals n Corroding effects of acid on infrastructure (bridges, etc. )

Impacts of AMD from Britannia Mines n Phytoplankton/Zooplankton: n n n Increase in mortality (fewer numbers) Other adverse effects—behavior, reproduction Juvenile mussels (Mytilus edulis)—Copper levels in blue )— mussel were 390 mg/kg (18 times higher than reference) (Goyette and Ferguson 1985) growth was adversely affected (Grout and Levings 2000) n Other adverse effects (molluscs)—feeding behavior, mortality, reproduction, inhibition of byssal thread production, disruption of burrowing behaviour, inhibition of respiration, inhibition of filtration rate, inhibition of protein synthesis

Impacts of AMD from Britannia Mines n Scientists compared fish abundance, distribution and survival at contaminated sites near Britannia Creek and unpolluted reference areas in Howe Sound n Biweekly beach seine surveys conducted during April - August 1997 and March - May 1998: Species richness and abundance of nearshore fishes were much lower near the mouth of Britannia Creek compared to uncontaminated reference areas

Impacts of AMD from Britannia Mines n Transplant experiments with marked chum fry (Oncorhynchus keta) indicated that, unlike nearby estuaries in Howe Sound, juvenile chum salmon do not inhabit Britannia Beach estuary for extended periods n Laboratory bioassays using juvenile chum and chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) confirmed that discharge from Britannia Mine is highly toxic to young salmon

References n Pictures of Britannia mines from: http: //www. em. gov. bc. ca/Mining/Geolsurv/Publications/Open. Files/OF 199 2 -19/Britannia. html