What do electronic waste, lichens, and spiders have in common?

A new scientific article was published in April 2025 as a result of the master's project by Mr. Jérémy Dupont at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). He carried out this project under the supervision of Maikel Rosabal Rodriguez, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UQAM and member of the scientific council of NOHEIC, as well as Marc Amyot, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Université de Montréal.

The article addresses atmospheric deposition around the Horne smelter, a major processor of electronic waste in North America, by assessing a wide range of trace metal elements using complementary monitoring approaches: passive air samplers, lichens (Cladonia rangiferina), and spiders (Lycosidae).

Is the increase in recycling activities at the Horne smelter detectable in the surrounding forest ecosystems? Read the article to discover the results of this study.

Full reference:

Dupont, Jérémy, Dominic E. Ponton, Arnaud Marois, Nicole J. Fenton, Marc Amyot, et Maikel Rosabal. « Elemental atmospheric deposition around North America’s largest metal processor of electronic waste (Horne Smelter, Canada) ». Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry 6 (4 avril 2025) : 1505053. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvc.2025.1505053.