May 8, 2019

Cluster researchers analyzed honey from beehives in six Metro Vancouver neighborhoods to test its potential as an urban biomonitor. The study – the first of its kind in North America – was published March 2019 in Nature Sustainability.

The study involves BeeHIVE researchers Kate Smith, Dominique Weis, and Marg Amini, as well as BeeHIVE community partner Hives for Humanity.  Analyses were carried out at UBC’s Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research.

Honey bees typically forage within a two-to three-kilometre radius from their hives, so honey can provide a geochemical "snapshot" of the local environment. The researchers found that the honey in Vancouver is extremely clean, well below the worldwide average for heavy metals like lead. However, they found that the concentration of elements was higher in honey from areas with heavy traffic, higher urban density and industrial activity. They also compared the lead isotopic compositions of the honey to those from other local environmental samples including lichen, trees, rocks, and sediment. They discovered that the lead “fingerprints” of the honey did not match any local, naturally-occurring lead and instead pointed to potential manmade sources of lead.

The research team has been featured in over 40 newspaper/magazine articles, television broadcasts and radio interviews for local and international media. Highlights include coverage by the New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, and Smithsonian Magazine. This media “buzz” has landed the paper in the 99th percentile (ranked 1,206th) of over 200,000 tracked articles of a similar age in all journals.

The four-year study provides a present-day baseline against which future changes in Metro Vancouver’s environment can be compared as the city grows.  It may also serve as a useful ‘citizen science’ model for other cities around the world, particularly where more traditional environmental monitoring infrastructure is not available.  

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Research Excellence Clusters at UBC Vancouver is a joint initiative of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver and the Vice-President, Research and Innovation. Funding support for the clusters is provided by Academic Excellence Funds – UBC Vancouver.

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