Aerial view of a lagoon that turned pink due to a chemical used to help shrimp conservation in fishing factories near Trelew, in the Patagonian province of Chubut, Argentina, on July 23, 2021. "The coloration is due to a preservative called sodium sulphite. It is an antibacterial that also contaminates the waters of the Chubut River and waters of the cities of the region. The law orders the treatment of such liquids before being dumped", said to AFP the environmental engineer and virologist Federico Restrepo, a Colombian expert who lives and works in Argentina. AFP PHOTO
PATAGONIA: A lagoon in this Argentine southern region has turned bright pink in a striking, but frightful phenomenon experts and activists blame on pollution by a chemical used to preserve prawns for export.
The color is caused by sodium sulfite, an antibacterial product used in fish factories, whose waste is blamed for contaminating the Chubut River that feeds the Corfo lagoon and other water sources in the region, according to activists.
