Aerial view of a lagoon that turned pink.
Aerial view of a lagoon that turned pink near Trelew, in the Patagonian province of Chubut, Argentina.
DANIEL FELDMAN/AFP via Getty Images
  • A lagoon in Argentina has turned bright pink last week.
  • Experts and activists say a chemical used in fish factories is to blame.
  • A local activist said the lagoon's color changed last week, and it was still pink on Sunday.
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A lagoon in Argentina's Patagonia region has turned pink after what experts say was a chemical spill.

Experts and activists said the color change in the lagoon in the Chubut region was due to sodium sulfite, an anti-bacterial product used in fish factories, Agence France-Presse reported.

pink water in a lagoon
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.
DANIEL FELDMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Pablo Lada, an environmental activist who lives in the area, told AFP that he blamed the government: "Those who should be in control are the ones who authorize the poisoning of people."

He said the lagoon's color changed last week, and that it was still pink as of Sunday.

Juan Micheloud, the head of the environmental control for the Chubut province, told AFP last week that the chemicals and resulting color change were not damaging: "The reddish color does not cause damage and will disappear in a few days."

An aerial view of a pink lagoon
An aerial view of the lagoon.
DANIEL FELDMAN/AFP via Getty Images
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