Waste from baths to the detriment of corals

2002/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

The corals of the Sand Islands of Florida (Cayo) are affected by bacteria and viruses of human dejection. In the last five years half of Florida's corals have disappeared and the situation in the world is not much better. The causes include pollution, overfishing and climate change, but some Florida authorities have not wanted to know anything about domestic wastewater. Due to the difficulty of its detection, researchers from the University of Georgia have focused on the bacteria and viruses of human deyections.

We have taken 15 samples of corals near the coast and detected nine infected with fecal bacteria, while the viruses have appeared in 14. The direct influence of sewage on corals has not yet been analyzed, but fecal bacteria are known to produce at least one deadly disease for corals. Wastewater can also be a source of food for algae that kill corals. Those responsible for the study have reported that in the sand islands there are more than 24,000 septic tanks and 10,000 illegal septic tanks.