Richard R. Goulet

Research Scientist -Environmental Risk Management

I review environmental impact assessments of mining and milling projects across Canada and provide advice to the Office of the Chief Science Advisor and decision makers at the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.

In addition, I study the environmental movement of radionuclides and metals in aquatic ecosystems and their impacts to aquatic organisms downstream of mining and milling facilities. I also study selenium cycle in passive treatment systems

Natural Resources Canada

Current research and/or projects

1- Lithium geochemistry in tailings and waste rock; ecotoxicology

2- Radium-226 toxicity to freswater species of North America

3- Linking historical metal exposure to sediment DNA as a proxy of impacts to fish and their habitat

Education and awards

2002

Post-doctoral fellowship

INRS-ETE

2001

Ph.D. Biology

University of Ottawa

1996

Bachelor of Biological Sciences

Université de Sherbrooke

International experience and/or work

2008-2022 International Atomic Energy Agency

Developing modelling approach to predict radiological dose to non-human biota

2004-2007 OECD High production volume chemicals

Additional links

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard_Goulet

Key publications

Articles in peer-review journals:

Goulet, R.R. et al. 2022. Best practices for predictions of radionuclide activity concentrations and total absorbed dose rates to freshwater organisms exposed to uranium mining/milling. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, vol. 244-245, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.106826
Sauve, D., Clulow, V. & R.R.Goulet. 2021. Quantifying historical releases and pre-operation levels of metals and radionuclides. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106683
Beaton, D., P. Pelletier, R.R. Goulet. 2019. Microbial Degradation of Cellulosic Material and Gas Generation: Implications for the Management of Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste. Frontiers in microbiology, 10:204.
Goulet, R.R. & P.A. Thompson. 2018. Bioaccumulation and toxicity of uranium, arsenic, and nickel to juvenile and adult Hyalella azteca in spiked sediment bioassays. Environmental toxicology and Chemistry, 37(9):2340-2349.
Beaugelin-Sellier K., Goulet R.R., Mihok S., Beresford N. 2016 Should we ignore U-235 series contribution to dose? Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 151:114-125.
Goulet R.R., Thompson P., Serben, K. and Eickoff CJ. 2015 Impact of Environmentally based chemical hardness on uranium speciation and toxicity in six aquatic species. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 34(3):561-574.
Goulet, R.R., Lalonde, J.D., Chapleau, F., Findlay, S.C., Lean, D.R.S. Temporal trends and spatial variability of mercury in four fish species in the Ontario Segment of the St.Lawrence River, Canada. Achives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 54(4):716-729, 2008
Goulet, R.R., Holmes, J., Siciliano, S., Wang, F., , Lean, D.R.S., Amyot, M., and Tessier, A. Mercury transformations and fluxes in sediments of a riverine wetland. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 71:3393-3406, 2007
Goulet, R.R., Krack, S., Doyle, P., Vigneault, B., McGeer, J., Hare, L. Predicting Cd bioaccumulation and toxicity to Daphnia magna (Straus): Importance of waterborne and dietary Cd. Aquatic Toxicology. 81:117-125, 2007
Goulet R.R., Lalonde, J.D., Munger, C., Campbell, P.G.C. Phytoremediation of Al from effluents of Al smelters: a mesocosm study. Water Research. 39(11):2291-2300, 2005
Wang F., Goulet, R.R., Chapman, P.M. Testing sediment biological effects using the amphipod Hyalella azteca: the gap between laboratory and the field. Chemosphere. 57(11): 1713-1724, 2004
Fatin-Rouge N., Milon, A., Buffle, J., Goulet, R.R., Tessier, A. Diffusion of solutes in agarose gels: chemical and electrostatic interactions. Journal of Physical Chemistry Part B. 107:12126-12137, 2003
Chapman, P.M., Wang, F., Janssen, C.R., Goulet, R.R., Kamunde, C.N., Conducting ecological risk assessments of inorganic metals and metalloids: Current status. Human Ecol. Risk Assessment. 9(4): 641-697, 2003
Simonyi-Poirier, M., Goulet, R.R., Pick, F.R. Periphyton and the freshwater gastropod Helisoma trivolvis as biomonitors to assess dissolved metal retention by a constructed wetland. Journal of water Science. 16(2): 237-254, 2003
Goulet, R.R. and F.R. Pick, (2001) Diel changes in Fe concentrations in surface-flow constructed wetlands. Water Science and Technology, 43(11-12):421-426.
Goulet, R.R., and F.R. Pick, (2001) Effects of rooted aquatic plants (Typha latifolia) on the concentration and partitioning of metals in surface sediments of constructed wetlands. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 132:275-291.
Goulet, R.R., F.R. Pick and R. Droste, (2001) Test of the first-order removal model for metal retention in a young constructed wetland. Ecological Engineering, 17(4): 357-371.
Goulet, R.R. and F.R. Pick, (2001) Changes in dissolved and total Fe and Mn in a young constructed wetland: Implications for retention performance. Ecological Engineering, 17(4):373-384.
Goulet, R.R., E. Leclair and F.R. Pick, (2001) The evaluation of metal retention by a constructed wetland using pulmonate gastropods Helisoma trivolvis (Say). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 40:303-310.
Fortin, D., R.R. Goulet and M. Roy (2000) The effect of seasonal variations in sulfate reducing bacteria populations on Fe and S cycling in a constructed wetland. Geomicrobiology Journal 17:221-235

Book Chapters

Schmidt P. & Goulet R.R. 2013. Chapter 6. Environmental remediation. In. The Environmental Behavior of Radium: Revised Edition. IAEA Technical Reports Series no.476. https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/trs476_web.pdf
Goulet R.R., Fortin C. & Spry D.G. Uranium bioavailability and toxicity to fish. 2011. In: Homeostasis and Toxicology of non-Essential Metals (Eds. Chris M. Wood*, A.P. Farrell & C.J. Brauner.) Fish Physiology Volume (31b): 391-428.
Goulet R.R., & Couillard Y. 2009. Weight-of-evidence assessment of impacts from an abandoned mine site to the Dasserat Lake Watershed, Quebec, Canada. In: F.R. Miranda and L.M. Bernard, Lake Pollution Research Progress. ISBN: 978-1-60692-106-7. pp.355-369.