Japan, 'Red Sea' Followed by 'Green River'... "No Toxicity"

"Dastugang Dyed Green" Report Received
Investigation Reveals Dye Component Responsible
Last Month, Turned Red Due to Coolant Leak

Last month, following an incident in Okinawa, Japan, where cooling water leakage turned the sea red, a new controversy has arisen as the color of a river running through Ikoma City in Nara Prefecture, Japan, changed to green.

According to local media including the Sankei Shimbun on the 6th, a report was received by the city environmental authorities around 5 a.m. the previous day stating that "the Tatsuta River has turned green." In fact, videos and photos posted on social media showed the Tatsuta River exhibiting a vivid green color, as if green paint had been poured into it.

Datsuta River dyed green.
[Image provided by Ikoma City]

As a result, officials investigated the Tatsuta River and found that the river was discolored green over a stretch of about 5 km. Fortunately, a simple water quality test did not detect any toxicity, and no signs of mass fish deaths were found. However, authorities urged residents not to touch the water or use it for agricultural purposes. It was reported that the river’s color returned to normal within a few hours.

The authorities pointed out that this phenomenon was caused by fluorescein sodium, a coloring agent used in bath additives. They stated, "When water is added to fluorescein sodium, it turns green," and confirmed that "the river water was found to be non-toxic."

At a beer factory in Okinawa, Japan, cooling water leaked, causing the nearby sea to turn red. The photo was taken on the 27th of last month.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Earlier last month, a beer factory in Okinawa, Japan, experienced a cooling water leak that caused the nearby sea to turn red.

At that time, local media reported, "The cooling water contained 'propylene glycol,' a food additive, and it appears that the sea color changed to red due to the effect of propylene glycol." Cooling water containing propylene glycol changes to red to indicate leakage.

The beer factory apologized, saying, "We are sorry for the inconvenience and concern caused to nearby residents and related parties," and it is known that they plan to implement measures such as installing sensors to detect cooling water leaks in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.