Peter Ross discusses with interviewer Aaron Pete the report he co-authored that exposes the discovery of an "astounding diversity" of contaminants, including cocaine and pesticides, in the Sumas Lake region following the November 2021 floods, and also shares his thoughts on the impact of the report and his Healthy Waters Program.

Raincoast Conservation in partnership with other organizations conducted a seven-week study which found 177 "new and emerging contaminants" in the water, including painkillers, pesticides, and sucralose, raising concerns about the health of fish habitat and the people in the area. The study identified excessive nutrients, metals, hydrocarbons, and pesticides as the primary pollutants of concern, highlighting the impacts of domestic and agricultural practices on the fish habitat in the region.

Dr. Peter S. Ross is an ocean pollution expert who has published over 160 scientific articles and book chapters on pollutants in the oceans. He discovered that the region's killer whales are the most contaminated marine mammals in the world, and recently reported on the widespread distribution of microplastics in the NE Pacific and Arctic oceans. He is the founder of the Ocean Pollution Research Program and the Plastics Lab at Ocean Wise, and has advised industry, government, the G7, the European Union, and the OECD on priority pollutants and microplastics. Dr. Ross is now Senior Scientist at Raincoast Conservation Foundation, where he is developing a new community-oriented Healthy Waters Program.
Read the full report: https://www.raincoast.org/reports/flood/

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