On Thursday, February 6th, a creek on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, suddenly turned into a eerie blood-red color and emitted a foul smell, sparking panic among local residents. Local officials suspected it was caused by a nearby factory leaking toxic chemical waste.
According to various media reports, the contaminated river is called the Sarandi River, a tributary of the Rio de la Plata, the second largest river in South America, located less than 10 kilometers from the capital, Buenos Aires. This river flows near a local ecological reserve and through several residential areas, but it is also lined with numerous leather processing factories, textile mills, and incinerators burning industrial waste.
Many local residents discovered on Thursday that the stretch of the river near its mouth was a shocking blood-red color, leading them to suspect a connection with the malicious discharge of industrial chemicals from nearby factories.
Local resident Maraa Ducomls described how “the entire river turned into a ‘river of blood’ overnight”. She told Agence France-Presse, “Early in the morning, I was awakened by a pungent odor. When I went to the river during the day, I found the water completely red, with oil-like stains floating on the surface.”
The resident also pointed out that this was not the first time they had witnessed the river changing color, as it had previously been dyed blue, green, pink, and purple. “It looks too terrifying. Clearly, this poor little river has been severely polluted.”
Officials from the nearby port city of Avellaneda stated that they suspected the polluted river water contained the toxic substance aniline. This substance is widely used in industrial products such as dyes and antioxidants. High concentrations of aniline exposure to the human body can damage hemoglobin, the red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen, leading to oxygen deficiency.
The environmental department of Buenos Aires province stated that they had taken water samples from the river, and initial tests did not detect any toxic substances. However, they are still conducting further analysis to determine the true cause of the river turning red and to trace potential sources of contamination.
Furthermore, the department did not rule out the possibility that factors other than chemical substances may have caused the river to turn red, pending further investigation and confirmation.