Residents noticed that part of Venice’s Grand Canal turned bright green on Sunday, prompting a police investigation.
Local authorities said on Monday that the stunning transformation of part of Venice’s Grand Canal into a fluorescent green is due to fluorescein, a non-toxic substance used in testing sewage systems.
Residents noticed that part of Venice’s Grand Canal turned bright green on Sunday, prompting a police investigation amid speculation it could be a stunt by environmentalists.
The Veneto Regional Agency for Prevention and Environmental Protection (ARPAF) said the analysis showed “the presence of fluorescein in the samples taken”.
The statement said that the results “did not show the presence of toxic elements in the samples that were analyzed,” without specifying the source of the substance.
The change in color noticed by residents has raised eyebrows, as police are looking into whether Sunday’s development could be a protest by climate change activists, according to local daily newspaper La Nuova Venezia.
The change in color that the residents noticed raised eyebrows.
This is not the first time the Grand Canal has gone green.
In 1968, Argentine artist Nicola García Uriburu dyed the waters of the Grand Canal in Venice green with a fluorescent dye during the 34th Venice Biennale in an effort to promote environmental awareness.
© 2023 AFP
the quote: Venice’s Grand Canal turns bright green due to fluorescein (2023, May 30) Retrieved May 30, 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-05-venice-grand-canal-bright-green.html
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