Don't forget about incinerators!

An article by Valérie Levé, science journalist.

It's common knowledge that the Arctic is contaminated by mercury and other pollutants from the south. However, the long-distance transport of pollution should not obscure local sources of pollution, such as incinerators. Although this type of pollution is well known to northern communities, it is still poorly documented by scientific studies. Julien Gigault, a researcher affiliated with INQ, is an adjunct professor at the Takuvik International Research Laboratory at Université Laval. In 2024, he published a study in Environmental Science and Technology on nanoparticles emitted by Arctic incinerators, opening up a new field of research.

t was the police who put Julien Gigault on the trail. While he was sampling the waters of Ittoqqortoormiit Bay in Greenland for ocean contaminants, a village policeman asked him to accompany him to the village. Gigault hadn't done anything wrong; the police officer wanted to show him a much more problematic source of contamination: the village incinerator. The incinerator is essentially a container in which waste is burned in the open air. Permafrost makes it difficult to bury waste. "With the cycles of freezing, thawing, and leaching, materials can reach the water," Julien Gigault explains. Back in Quebec City, he inquired about waste management in Nunavik communities and, since waste is burned similarly there, he planned additional sampling in Umiujaq. 

A plume of contamination

To detect contaminants, snow and soil samples were taken several kilometers upwind and downwind of the Umiujaq and Ittoqqortoormiit incineration sites. Julien Gigault specifically focused on metal and plastic nanoparticles. The analyses revealed the presence of titanium, lanthanum, lead, arsenic, cerium, chromium, zinc, and other elements in the form of oxides or alloys. Some of these metals resemble those found in semiconductors or wood treated with chromated copper arsenate. Obviously, some of the metal nanoparticles could be part of the local geology, but not the nanoplastics! The analyses also revealed polystyrene and polypropylene nanoparticles. These contaminants could have been carried by the atmosphere from the south. However, the concentrations are three to four times higher than those found in long-distance contamination. 

"Pollution brought in by atmospheric deposits from all over the world is negligible compared to the local source," argues Julien Gigault. 

Furthermore, concentrations decrease with distance from the incineration site. There is also a striking correlation between the presence of nanoplastics and metal contaminants. "We believe that plastics and carbonaceous soot carry metal oxide nanoparticles," Julien Gigault adds. In short, this body of evidence points to contamination from waste incineration.

Completing the portrait of contamination

This pioneering study sheds light on the issue of Arctic incinerators. Since contamination patterns are similar in Umiujaq and Ittoqqortoormiit, it is highly plausible that other communities that burn waste in a similar manner are also affected. This raises concerns about the contamination of ecosystems, food resources, and drinking water. Sampling will therefore continue to better document the nature of pollution in the soil, water, and ecosystems surrounding Inuit villages. Julien Gigault has partnered with Stéphanie Guilherme, a professor in the Department of Civil and Water Engineering at Université Laval, who is researching the quality of drinking water in Nunavik communities.

A need for reflection

Local populations are more concerned about rectifying the environmental pollution than analysing the problem. "People want solutions and are proactive," says Julien Gigault. He points out that the community of Kuujjuarapik now has a high-tech landfill similar to those in the south and no longer incinerates waste. However, Kuujjuarapik has the advantage of not being located in a permafrost zone. 

Gigault believes reflection is needed to manage waste and even profit from it. He notes that ships arrive full and leave empty when they could transport waste south. "It's done at Antarctic bases, so it must be possible to do it in Nunavik," he says.

 Recyclable materials could be sorted and sent back south while non-recyclable materials could be burned for energy recovery. Organic materials could be composted for use in northern agricultural projects.
Therefore, this is more than just a field of research that needs to be explored.

To learn more

Gigault et al. (2024) Waste Combustion Releases Anthropogenic Nanomaterials in Indigenous Arctic. Communities Environ. Sci. Technol. 58, 34, 15170–15180
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c02598