Food for thought; mercury, arsenic, and chromium in Ontario’s wild fish

Food for thought; mercury, arsenic, and chromium in Ontario’s wild fish

Presented by Dr. Gretchen Lescord - glescord@laurentian.ca, @GLescord

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Laurentian University

Join us for an engaging talk from the comforts of your own home! Socializing begins at 6:30 PM, the talk begins at 7 PM.When: Wednesday, April 7th from 6:30 – 8 PM RSVP: Please complete the RSVP form to receive the Zoom meeting link. Cost: Pay what you want to support future student awards ($2 members, $4 non-members or an amount of your choosing). Contact: Rebecca Dalton (becca.dalton@gmail.com) Abstract: Have you ever wondered what is in the fish you catch or eat, aside from those healthy omega-3 fatty acids? My research tackles part of that question by looking at metal accumulation and speciation in wild freshwater fish around Ontario. Mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr) have been flagged as elements of concern in these fish, including those from relatively pristine systems in remote northern Ontario, where much of my research has been based. In this talk, I will briefly highlight: (1) why Hg is the most concerning contaminant in these northern fish, (2) our current work on arsenic accumulation and speciation in Ontario fish, and (3) my on-going efforts to develop an analytical method for Cr speciation in fish tissue and water samples using ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IC-ICPMS). This research has been driven by community-based questions and concerns. I will discuss the implications of my work for subsistence and sport fishers, as well as future contaminating monitoring and risk assessments, particularly around the “Ring of Fire” mining region in northern Ontario. Biography: Dr. Lescord is a Post-Doctoral Fellow based at the Vale Living with Lakes Center at Laurentian University. Her research pairs aquatic ecology with contaminant biogeochemistry in the context of public health interests, environmental monitoring practices, and anticipated effects of climate change. She specializes in contaminant speciation and accumulation in freshwater fish and the aquatic food webs that support them. Education: Ph.D. Laurentian University (2018), M.Sc. University of New Brunswick (2013), B.Sc. Mount Allison University (2009).