No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveHeavy Metal Detected In Belén Water Supply

Heavy Metal Detected In Belén Water Supply

Almost 9,000 residents of the Central Valley town of Belén may have quenched their thirst with water laced with chromium, a heavy metal known to cause cancer.

The spring source of water for the region was discovered to be contaminated with chromium in July 2006 by the Municipality of Belén, according to a recent report in the daily La Nación.

The issue was reported to then-director of the regional Ministry of Health department, but the spring water was left open to public consumption. A report on the matter was sent to the Ministry of Health almost two months later.

In further interviews with Health Minister María Luisa Avila, she implied officials and the newspaper may have sounded a false alarm.

“Tests that followed showed chromium was not present,” she said. Avila could not say whether the initial tests may have been in error, and if not, where the chromium might have originated.

She did insist, “There was no error on the part of the Health Ministry.”

 

Trending Now

Costa Rica Rescues Endangered Amphibians and Turtles in Store Bust

The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ), through its Specialized Section Against Environmental Crimes, carried out an operation at a store in Vázquez de Coronado, San...

Costa Rican Economists Raise Alarm Over U.S. Cash Transfer Tax

In 2026, the U.S. government will impose a 1% tax on cash remittances sent from the United States to Latin America. Electronic transfers will...

Keylor Navas Joins Pumas UNAM in Major Liga MX Transfer

Keylor Navas has agreed to become the new goalkeeper for Pumas UNAM, marking one of the biggest signings in recent Liga MX history. The...

Costa Rica Opens New Pedestrian Bridge at Guayabo National Monument

Costa Rica has added a new attraction to its archaeological sites with the opening of a pedestrian bridge at Guayabo National Monument. The structure...

Costa Rica Overturns Management Plan for Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the General Management Plan for the Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge is unconstitutional. The decision annuls both the...

Meet the Bats of Costa Rica from Tent Makers to Fish Hunters

Costa Rica is home to around 220 species of non-marine mammals. Roughly half of those species, 117 is the current number, are the type...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica