Green Sludge: Italian Coast Guard Uses Fluorescent Tracing Dye to Analyze Waste Spill

The Italian Coast Guard used a fluorescent tracing dye to analyze a waste spill in the Adriatic Sea near the port city of Bari on January 21.

The fluorescent tracer turned bright green after it came into contact with the waste, as seen in this video.

According to a press release issued by the local government of Italy’s Apulia region, the waste – a mixture of “salinized ground water and sludge” – originated from excavation operations at a construction site where restoration of the Kursaal Santa Lucia theater building was underway. Instead of being disposed of as special waste, the sludge had been poured into pipes that led to the ocean.

The construction contractor was notified and work temporarily suspended. The incident was described as an accident. Credit: Guardia Costiera via Storyful