A downtown stretch of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa was declared a contaminated site by Parks Canada in early November and fish there are being tested for mercury, other heavy metals, and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), according to Lindsay Davidson, a spokesperson with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC). It’s the first time fish from Dow’s Lake in the canal system — usually thought of as part of the world’s longest skating rink — have been tested.
As of November 2017, contaminant testing, including PCBs, was expanded to three locations on the Rideau River and five on the Ottawa River. Meredith Brown, head of Ottawa Riverkeeper, public advocate for the Ottawa River and its watershed, doesn’t think eating fish from the Rideau or Ottawa rivers is likely to be dangerous, but, like Davidson, urges consumers to consult The Guide to Eating Ontario Fish, for details on safe consumption levels for specific waterways.
Brown says more modern contaminants pose greater risks to fish and wildlife, in her estimation. Endocrine disruptors, which include hormones or interfere in other ways with our endocrine systems. They are found in antibacterial soaps, toothpaste, and a number of cosmetic products.
Brown says endocrine disruptors carried in sewage from the outfalls of the cities of Gatineau and Ottawa into the Ottawa River might result in a crash in fish populations downriver if they cause fish to become unable to reproduce.
According to Canadian authorities, current levels do not appear to pose a danger to human populations, but in 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration banned the use of triclosan, triclocarban, and seventeen other chemicals in that country.
Originally published in the Jan.-Feb. 2018 issue of Ontario OUT of DOORS
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