A river in Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, mysteriously turned bright red, sparking concerns among locals of toxic leak from the nearby factories.
Residents of Sarandí, about six miles south of the capital, told local news media that chemicals from several factories and tanneries in the area could have changed the color of the stream. Residents also reported that a “nauseating” smell was coming off the stream, which flows into the Río de la Plata, a major body of water between Argentina and Uruguay.
The Sarandí stream in the municipality of Avellaned, is home to tanneries and other industries that transform animal skins into leather using chemicals.
One resident, María Ducomls, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, told Agence France-Presse that she noticed a strong smell that woke her up. “At 5:30 a.m., we already had a special and hazardous waste incinerator spewing pollutants into the air,” she told media.
Shortly after, she noticed the stream, “It looks like a stream of blood; we have never seen it like this,” she said. “You don’t need to be an inspector to realize just how polluted the poor Sarandí creek is.”
Residents have reported that the stream has displayed a variety of unusual colors over the years, including gray, green, violet, blue, and brown, often with an oily surface. They’ve been filing complaints against local businesses since the 1990s, with several cases of alleged environmental contamination still unresolved.
Locals have long complained about industrial pollution in the area but the recent videos and photos of the bloodred river quickly spread on social media, and alarmed the authorities.
Officials in Avellaneda, located about 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Buenos Aires, suspect the presence of aniline, a toxic substance used in dyes and medicines.
After collecting water samples, local authorities filed a complaint with the Buenos Aires province ministry of infrastructure and public services, which will lead the investigation.
The regional environment department confirmed it is investigating the apparent leak. “On the morning of Thursday 6 February, we received a report that the waters of the Sarandí canal had been dyed red,” it said in a statement.
“Our mobile analysis laboratory was sent to the area and two liters of water were taken as samples for basic chemical analysis and liquid chromatography in order to determine what organic substance was responsible for the discoloration. It is thought to be some kind of organic coloring.”
By Thursday afternoon, AFP reported that the water’s color had faded.
Carlos Colángelo, the president of the Professional Council of Chemistry for the Province of Buenos Aires, told a local news outlet, infobae.com, that the red color was likely the result of chemical dumping into the stream. “We have to wait for the results of the analysis, but we can say that a company that would have dumped this is totally unscrupulous,” he said. “I don’t think they are chemical professionals because under no circumstances would they have allowed this waste to be dumped into the water.”