Responsible Consumption and Production

Pollution Turns Lake Pink!

The lake in Argentina is thought to have become a dumping ground for harmful chemicals.

A lake in Argentina has turned bright pink after being polluted with chemicals, and alarming environmentalists.

According to Ruptly, the colour is caused by sodium sulfite, an antibacterial product used in fish factories.

Residents in nearby Rawson had been blocking roads used by trucks to carry processed fish waste to treatment plants on the outskirts of the city, as they were getting tired of the dozens of trucks making their way through the town on a daily basis.  With Rawson off-limits due to the protest, provincial authorities granted authority for factories to dump their waste in the Corfo lagoon instead.

Environmentalists have voiced their concerns over the colour change, as it seems unlikely that any wildlife could survive in the lake with the presence of the chemical.

An official cause for the lake turning pink is yet to be announced.

Posted by Claire Edwards 3 August 2021

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