A study by Costa Rica's National University (UNA) has found traces of pineapple farming pesticides in rivers and streams in the country's Limón province, website Elpais.cr reported.

The results showed the contamination was caused by runoff, following biological tests in the lower basin of the Jiménez River between Guácimo and Pococí, along with three sites in the upper basin.

The tests were presented by biologist Silvia Echeverría Sáenz, revealing the presence of pesticides capable of killing laboratory organisms.

"When a pesticide enters rivers and streams it could have a toxic effect on aquatic organisms that inhabit these bodies of surface water. In other words, they could be causing harmful effects on aquatic life and this could cause imbalance in food chains, or even the loss of biodiversity," she was quoted as saying.

The pesticides found included carbaryl, diazinon, ethoprophos, bromasil, ametrine, hexazinone, diuron, triadimefon and chlorothalonil, the story reported.

Pineapples are Costa Rica's second-largest agricultural export with more than 50,000 hectares of the crop planted across the country.

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Photo: El Pais

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