March 11,
2019, University
of British Columbia
Honey
from urban bees can tell us how clean a city is and help pinpoint the sources
of environmental pollutants such as lead, new University of British Columbia
research has found.
In a
study published today in Nature Sustainability, scientists from UBC's
Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research (PCIGR) analyzed honey
from urban beehives in six Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods. They tested for
miniscule levels of lead, zinc, copper and other elements and carried out lead
isotope analyses—akin to fingerprinting—to identify where the lead came from.
"The
good news is that the chemical composition of honey in Vancouver reflects its
environment and is extremely clean," said Kate E. Smith, lead author of
the study and Ph.D. candidate at PCIGR. "We also found that the
concentration of elements increased the closer you got to downtown Vancouver,
and by fingerprinting the lead we can tell it largely comes from manmade
sources."
Tiny
elements, tiny measurements
Metro
Vancouver honey is well below the worldwide average for heavy metals like
lead, and an adult would have to consume more than 600 grams, or two cups, of
honey every day to exceed tolerable levels.
"The
instruments at PCIGR are very sensitive and measure these elements in parts per
billion, or the equivalent of one drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming
pool," said Dominique Weis, senior author and director of the institute.
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