Work

Chemical Identification and Environmental Fate of Fluorescein during Celebratory Surface Water Dyeing: A Field Evaluation in the Chicago River

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: A growing number of cities dye waterways to celebrate significant cultural or social events. However, the ecological safety of these practices has not been evaluated in the open literature. The Chicago River has been dyed annually since 1962, yet the identity, fate, and impacts of the applied dye have not been independently verified. Field measurements combined with chemical analyses identified the dye as fluorescein. Surface water fluorescein concentrations reached 63±4 μg/L within 2 h of application and declined to near-background levels within days with an apparent attenuation half-life of ∼15 h, consistent with photochemical transformation. Measured concentrations were well below predicted no-effect concentrations, indicating low ecological risk. These results provide an empirical evaluation of widely cited environmental claims regarding the safety of a well-known celebratory dyeing event.

Source: Environmental Science & Technology Letters

DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.6c00757

Authors: Gordon J. Getzinger, Lauryn H. Duffee

Institution: Loyola University Chicago

Language: English

Topic: Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,500