The State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) and the Ministry of Agriculture handled the investigations to determine the presence of bromacil in water sources in the Northern Zone of the country with secrecy and confidentiality.
Since 2015, both entities knew of the presence of the agrochemical in water sources of Veracruz, as well as in Santa Rita de Río Cuarto. That year the Center for Research in Environmental Pollution (CICA) of the University of Costa Rica began to study the springs confirming the presence of bromacil. They reconfirmed it in 2016 and 2017.
However, despite the fact that the CICA informed the SFE since 2015, it was not until 2017 that there was a formal communication from that entity and the MAG towards the Ministry of Health, warning of the risk to the population.
The information was confirmed by the director of the CICA, Carlos Rodríguez, and the researchers of the Laura Brenes and Greivin Pérez Center, during an appearance before the Commission of Environmental Affairs in the Legislative Assembly.
According to Rodríguez, there was an oral agreement that the investigations should be confidential and that all information should be handled through the Phytosanitary Service, who would be responsible for all the relevant procedures.
The representatives of the CICA confirmed to the commission that they do not know what happened in 2017 when the SFE forbid them to continue carrying out analyzes on water sources, without explanations or technical reasons.
José María Villalta, a member of Frente Amplio, questioned the way in which the issue was handled, and assured that the commission will call representatives of MAG and SFE to be held accountable.
Costa Rica banned the importation of bromacil by Executive Decree 9945, published in La Gaceta on June 5th, 2017.