Distribution of metals and radionuclides in the lichens Cladonia rangiferina and C. mitis from the past uranium mining region of Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada.

ABSTRACT: The present study was performed in the Elliot Lake area (Ontario, Canada), a site of uranium mining and milling for nearly 40 years between 1950's and 1990's. Although mining activities ceased in the mid-1990's, the site hosts several tailings management areas (TMAs) which are under ongoing rehabilitation and monitoring. Several surveys using lichens as a biomonitoring tool were completed in the 1980s and the 1990s to assess the levels of contaminants. The present survey aimed to re-visit the historical surveys, and to determine the current status of environmental recovery of the area. Our survey consisted of sampling two lichen species, Cladonia rangiferina and C. mitis, in an area covering up to 50 km from the former mining operation and the TMAs. The results reported in this work indica

SUBMITTER: Anderson J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9761608 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature