What happens when you dump antibacterial nano-silver particles 100,000th the width of a hair follicle into a freshwater lake?
Dunno, but now we have a chance in hell of finding out, thanks to the last-minute revival of Canada’s world-famous Experimental Lakes Area research station southeast of Kenora in the Lake of the Woods region.
Nano-silver research is just one of the ELA’s open-lake investigations aimed at protecting our nation’s water ecosystem from pollutants and the effects of climate change.
The federal government’s decision to axe the ELA last summer sparked an outcry from prominent scientists around the world.
This province originally refused to assume responsibility, but that all turned around last week when Ontario and Manitoba went public with a vow to keep the centre’s doors open – for now.
Trent environmental studies prof Chris Metcalfe, who’s been overseeing the nano-silver project, is cautiously optimistic. “The entire team is encouraged and hopeful that ELA will remain open and we will be able to continue our research.”
It’s unlikely, though, that management will be up and running in time to carry out those experiments this summer. To have any hope of government putting an end to the tidal wave of antibacterial nano-silver now infusing – and seeping out of – everything from sweat socks to cutting boards, we’ve got to ensure that scientists like Metcalfe have access to lakes-turned-labs for generations to come.
The ELA’s studies on the effects of phosphates and acid rain have already helped shaped public policy, and the centre is currently examining the effects of global warming and mercury contamination on aquatic life.
Says Council of Canadians regional organizer Mark Calzavara, “The most important thing is that information from the experiments remains open to the public domain.”
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