Friday, May 2, 2025

Are the beaches really clean? Don’t count on it, biologist warns

Beaches in Mexico may not be as safe as the federal government claims because their waters are tested with samples taken at least two weeks before the data is published, and the nation’s standards are far more lax than those set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Marine biologist Alejandro Olivera Bonilla, the representative in Mexico of the Center for Biological Diversity, told the newspaper Excélsior that the samples do not offer a current snapshot of water quality, as conditions at sea change from one moment to the next.

Those conditions can change significantly when one takes into consideration that thousands of families are hitting the beaches this week during their Easter vacation, meaning that the presence of fecal coliforms will increase.

On top of that, he said “. . . the country’s maximum allowed limits [of fecal coliforms in seawater] do not correspond to the limits set by the WHO, as international regulations establish the limit as 100 fecal coliforms per 100 milliliters of water . . .”

Mexico’s limit is twice that, at 200 fecal coliforms per 100 milliliters.

In the United States the limit is 33 and in Canada, 35.

As an alternative to the federal government offering outdated water quality data, Olivera proposed that local environmental and health authorities conduct their own testing and publish current data.

Lists of Mexico’s cleanest and dirtiest beaches have been published in the past week.

Source: Excélsior (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Sheinbaum stands at a podium during her morning press conference or mañanera

Sheinbaum calls out ‘ignorance’ of rich and famous men: Thursday’s mañanera recapped

2
Sheinbaum responded to remarks by Ricardo Salinas and other high-profile critics at her Thursday morning press conference.
Protesters hold a large banner reading "International workers' day" in Spanish, in front of the Mexico City Angel of Independence monument

Thousands march for a 40-hour workweek on International Workers’ Day

3
Mexico's unions showed up in force this Workers' Day in Mexico City.
A boat navigates a large seaweed patch off coast

Cancún celebrates sargassum-free beaches, as satellites show seaweed gathering off the coast

0
Riviera Maya is facing a record-breaking sargassum season in 2025, with authorities ramping up cleanup and containment.