Emma Hoffman - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Emma Hoffman

Research paper thumbnail of Using a Long Term Metal Dataset to Spatio-temporally Characterize Pulp Mill Effluent Impacted Sediments to Inform Remediation Decisions

Introduction: A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia, Canada, has discharged effluent wastewat... more Introduction: A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia, Canada, has discharged effluent wastewater into Boat Harbour (BH), a former tidal lagoon within Pictou Landing First Nation (PLFN), since 1967 [1]. Fifty years of effluent discharge to BH has created >170,000 m 3 of unconsolidated sediment, impacted by inorganic and organic contaminants (metal[loid]s, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], dioxins and furans). This study aimed to characterize metal(loid) impacted sediments to inform decisions for a $89 million (CAD) sediment remediation program, designed to return this aquatic site to a tidal lagoon for tradition use by the PLFN community [2].

Research paper thumbnail of Canine Scent Detection of an Invasive Wood-Boring Insect, the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle, Tetropium fuscum, in Laboratory Conditions

Research paper thumbnail of Pilot study investigating ambient air toxics emissions near a Canadian kraft pulp and paper facility in Pictou County, Nova Scotia

Environmental science and pollution research international, Jan 15, 2017

Air toxics are airborne pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health eff... more Air toxics are airborne pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, including certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), prioritized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While several EPA-designated air toxics are monitored at a subset of Canadian National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) sites, Canada has no specific "air toxics" control priorities. Although pulp and paper (P&P) mills are major industrial emitters of air pollutants, few studies quantified the spectrum of air quality exposures. Moreover, most NAPS monitoring sites are in urban centers; in contrast, rural NAPS sites are sparse with few exposure risk records. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate prioritized air toxic ambient VOC concentrations using NAPS hourly emissions data from a rural Pictou, Nova Scotia Kraft P&P town to document concentration levels, and to determine whether these concentrations correlated with wind direction at the NAPS s...

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of public perception and environmental compliance at a pulp and paper facility: a Canadian case study

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2015

Communities across Canada rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. One such commu... more Communities across Canada rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. One such community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, has both benefited and suffered, because of its proximity to a pulp and paper mill (currently owned by Northern Pulp). Since production began in 1967, there have been increasing impacts to the local environment and human health. Environmental reports funded by the mill were reviewed and compared against provincial and federal regulatory compliance standards. Reports contrasted starkly to societal perceptions of local impacts and independent studies. Most environmental monitoring reports funded by the mill indicate some levels of compliance in atmospheric and effluent emissions, but when compliance targets were not met, there was a lack of regulatory enforcement. After decades of local pollution impacts and lack of environmental compliance, corporate social responsibility initiatives need implementing for the mill to maintain its social licence to operate.

Research paper thumbnail of Graphical Abstract MPO

Research paper thumbnail of Harbour divestiture in Canada: Implications of changing governance

Marine Policy, 2015

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Spatiotemporal assessment (quarter century) of pulp mill metal(loid) contaminated sediment to inform remediation decisions

Environmental monitoring and assessment, 2017

A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia has discharged effluent wastewater into Boat Harbour, a... more A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia has discharged effluent wastewater into Boat Harbour, a former tidal estuary within Pictou Landing First Nation since 1967. Fifty years of effluent discharge into Boat Harbour has created >170,000 m(3) of unconsolidated sediment, impacted by inorganic and organic contaminants, including metal[loid]s, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins, and furans. This study aimed to characterize metal(loid)-impacted sediments to inform decisions for a $89 million CAD sediment remediation program. The remediation goals are to return this impacted aquatic site to pre-mill tidal conditions. To understand historical sediment characteristics, spatiotemporal variation covering ~quarter century, of metal(loid) sediment concentrations across 103 Boat Harbour samples from 81 stations and four reference locations, were assessed by reviewing secondary data from 1992 to 2015. Metal(loid) sediment concentrations were compared to current Canadian freshwa...

Research paper thumbnail of Using a Long Term Metal Dataset to Spatio-temporally Characterize Pulp Mill Effluent Impacted Sediments to Inform Remediation Decisions

Introduction: A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia, Canada, has discharged effluent wastewat... more Introduction: A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia, Canada, has discharged effluent wastewater into Boat Harbour (BH), a former tidal lagoon within Pictou Landing First Nation (PLFN), since 1967 [1]. Fifty years of effluent discharge to BH has created >170,000 m 3 of unconsolidated sediment, impacted by inorganic and organic contaminants (metal[loid]s, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], dioxins and furans). This study aimed to characterize metal(loid) impacted sediments to inform decisions for a $89 million (CAD) sediment remediation program, designed to return this aquatic site to a tidal lagoon for tradition use by the PLFN community [2].

Research paper thumbnail of Canine Scent Detection of an Invasive Wood-Boring Insect, the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle, Tetropium fuscum, in Laboratory Conditions

Research paper thumbnail of Pilot study investigating ambient air toxics emissions near a Canadian kraft pulp and paper facility in Pictou County, Nova Scotia

Environmental science and pollution research international, Jan 15, 2017

Air toxics are airborne pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health eff... more Air toxics are airborne pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, including certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), prioritized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While several EPA-designated air toxics are monitored at a subset of Canadian National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) sites, Canada has no specific "air toxics" control priorities. Although pulp and paper (P&P) mills are major industrial emitters of air pollutants, few studies quantified the spectrum of air quality exposures. Moreover, most NAPS monitoring sites are in urban centers; in contrast, rural NAPS sites are sparse with few exposure risk records. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate prioritized air toxic ambient VOC concentrations using NAPS hourly emissions data from a rural Pictou, Nova Scotia Kraft P&P town to document concentration levels, and to determine whether these concentrations correlated with wind direction at the NAPS s...

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of public perception and environmental compliance at a pulp and paper facility: a Canadian case study

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2015

Communities across Canada rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. One such commu... more Communities across Canada rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. One such community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, has both benefited and suffered, because of its proximity to a pulp and paper mill (currently owned by Northern Pulp). Since production began in 1967, there have been increasing impacts to the local environment and human health. Environmental reports funded by the mill were reviewed and compared against provincial and federal regulatory compliance standards. Reports contrasted starkly to societal perceptions of local impacts and independent studies. Most environmental monitoring reports funded by the mill indicate some levels of compliance in atmospheric and effluent emissions, but when compliance targets were not met, there was a lack of regulatory enforcement. After decades of local pollution impacts and lack of environmental compliance, corporate social responsibility initiatives need implementing for the mill to maintain its social licence to operate.

Research paper thumbnail of Graphical Abstract MPO

Research paper thumbnail of Harbour divestiture in Canada: Implications of changing governance

Marine Policy, 2015

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Spatiotemporal assessment (quarter century) of pulp mill metal(loid) contaminated sediment to inform remediation decisions

Environmental monitoring and assessment, 2017

A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia has discharged effluent wastewater into Boat Harbour, a... more A bleached kraft pulp mill in Nova Scotia has discharged effluent wastewater into Boat Harbour, a former tidal estuary within Pictou Landing First Nation since 1967. Fifty years of effluent discharge into Boat Harbour has created >170,000 m(3) of unconsolidated sediment, impacted by inorganic and organic contaminants, including metal[loid]s, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins, and furans. This study aimed to characterize metal(loid)-impacted sediments to inform decisions for a $89 million CAD sediment remediation program. The remediation goals are to return this impacted aquatic site to pre-mill tidal conditions. To understand historical sediment characteristics, spatiotemporal variation covering ~quarter century, of metal(loid) sediment concentrations across 103 Boat Harbour samples from 81 stations and four reference locations, were assessed by reviewing secondary data from 1992 to 2015. Metal(loid) sediment concentrations were compared to current Canadian freshwa...