Guánica Bay

Local, Federal Governments Remain Mum About Substance Posing Carcinogenic Threat in the Guánica Bay

Even though the EPA recognized the risk posed by the consumption of fish from the bay after a  Center for Investigative Journalism’s investigation, neither the municipality nor federal or local agencies have taken measures to prevent recreational fishing and warn  the public about the risks of consuming species from this body of water.

EPA Took Six Years to Regulate Toxic Emission in Puerto Rico That Could Cause Cancer

Since 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began to demand that seven companies that use ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment in Puerto Rico take measures to mitigate impacts on communities, such as the danger of cancer from long-term exposure. But it will not be until 2023 that there will be a regulation in place that requires a 99.99% reduction in emissions of this chemical, said Carmen Guerrero Pérez, director of the Caribbean Environmental Protection Division at EPA. Current regulations only require these companies to reduce EtO emissions by 99%, even though it has been known since 2016 that exposure to the chemical can cause cancer. Of the seven sterilization companies established in Puerto Rico, EPA identified four as the riskiest for the communities: Edwards Lifesciences Technology Sarl, in Añasco; Steri-Tech, in Salinas; Customed, in Fajardo; and Medtronic Puerto Rico, in Villalba. The remaining three are Medtronic, in Juncos; Guidant Puerto Rico (now Boston Scientific), in Dorado; and St.

Formalizing Community Aqueducts is a Discouraging Process in Puerto Rico

The procedure for community aqueducts to legalize their franchises and maintain their operation is so complicated, bureaucratic, and devoid of technical support that it discourages communities from formalizing the systems that carries water to their homes because of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority’s inability to provide the service.