Chemicals kill Mexico coral reefs

A new study links the contamination of a giant aquifer under Mexico’s Riviera Maya to the loss of up to 50 percent of coral reefs in the Caribbean since 1990.

The Journal of Environmental Pollution released a study stating that pharmaceutical, pesticide, and other chemical run-off from highways have infiltrated the region’s giant aquifer network, AFP reported.

Existing sinkholes — depressed areas allowing the transfer of surface water to the underground passages — have likely provided routes for the contaminated water to enter the sea.