Historic Mercury And Heavy Metal Deposition In Flin Flon, Manitoba Reconstructed From Lake Sediment Cores

The Flin Flon copper–zinc smelter is a site of concern as it has been the largest single source of atmospheric mercury emissions in Canada until operations ceased on July 1, 2010. The smelting and mining activities resulted in mercury contamination to the local environment. Elevated levels of mercury and other trace metals were found in soil humus, peat, plants, fish and sediment cores.

The Flin Flon smelter of the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company is located near the Manitoba–Saskatchewan border, 600 km Northwest of Winnipeg and over 400 km away from other major industrial complexes.This study examined nine lakes (Nekik, Douglas, Loucks, Phantom, McClurg, Cleaver, Naosep, Hamel, and Meridian) each lake was located at varying differences within 75 km of the smelter stack these lakes were selected for sediment coring analysis and heavy metal deposition trends.

Given the significant legacy of contamination of the Flin Flon region by mercury and other heavy metals emitted by the smelter complex, the region should remain a concern and deserves further study.

All data are subjects of a publication containing method details, full QA/QC, interpretations and conclusions. Citation:

J. A. Wiklund, J. L. Kirk, D. C.G. Muir, M. Evans, F. Yang, J. Keating, M. T. Parsons. 2017. Anthropogenic mercury deposition in Flin Flon Manitoba and the Experimental Lakes Area Ontario (Canada): a multi-lake sediment core reconstruction. Science of the Total Environment 586, 685695.

Supplemental Information

The Climate Change and Air Pollution (CCAP) program was established in 2016 to identify the severity and extent of adverse impacts of current and future air emissions on aquatic ecosystems to support regulatory actions and policy development. The program includes a number of components, including identifying, monitoring and defining air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) concerns; improving our understanding of the short- and long-term effects of atmospheric pollutants on the environment; developing a plan to combat climate change; and monitoring and reducing both domestic and transboundary emissions of GHGs. The program is also responsible for identifying and studying emerging issues including multipollutant impacts, major urban sources, and effects of increasing heat on air pollutant formation, among others.

On-going cooperation and support with the Provinces and Territories, international governments and organizations and academia are vital to deliver these priorities to Canadians.

Supporting Projects:

Climate Change and Air Pollutants (CCAP)

Clean Air Regulatory Agenda (CARA)

Organization: Environment and Climate Change Canada | Environnement et Changement climatique Canada

Last modified: 2026-03-16T15:31:14.770988