Beer Factory Chemical Leak Turns Ocean Red in Japanese City

The port of Nago on the island of Okinawa, Japan. (Photo: The Ryukyu Shimpo)

On Tuesday morning, residents of Nago in southwest Japan awoke to find that their tranquil ocean had turned blood red. News later revealed that the incident occurred because of a chemical leak at a nearby Orion Breweries plant — Japan’s fifth-largest beer manufacturer.

Though the leak was officially plugged by 9:30 am on Tuesday, footage recorded up through Wednesday quickly circulated across local news and social media. Several ports and off-running rivers were also affected.

今の
名護漁港⚓️
海が紅色に染まった?#名護漁港#沖縄旅行#沖縄観光#猫 pic.twitter.com/ZFBt2UcLgS

— sakuratomomo (@23sakuratomomo) June 27, 2023

Despite the foreboding mood, local authorities assured the public that there was nothing to worry about.

In a public statement, Orion Breweries said: “We believe it was caused by the leakage of propylene glycol – a food additive listed in enforcement regulations of the Food Sanitation Act – contained in cooling water used to cool our factory facilities. We believe the leaked cooling water flowed into a river through a rain gutter, causing the sea to turn red.”

Propylene glycol is used across the globe as an ingredient in coffee drinks, ice cream and soda. The US Food and Drug Administration says it’s
“generally recognized as safe” for human consumption.

The chemical is typically noted for its colorless appearance, dense consistency and sweet flavor. As a result, it’s been speculated that the brewery treated its propylene glycol with some kind of red food colorant.

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