Rt€@lll

Kind
- 265
Tabb 2 : Industries discharging dinectly or indirectly into the Gulf of Panama
(from Kwiecinsky, 1981)
Fmd Irdustries Chemical and other industries
Number Kind Nurnber
Fisheries
Sugar
Milk
Cured neat, slaughterhouses
Fruit, vegetables
Oils, fats
Breweries, .distilleries, etc.
Mills (coffee, rice)
Others
Total
tA
t
L2
2
')
12
l8
5t
4t
187
Frequency of spills
Average spill size
Causes:
ships
land installations
others
Hydrocarbmsl
marine diesel
light diesel
bunker C
uncleaned ballast and others
Fertilizers I
Pharmaceuticalrchemical ST
Pestieides, herbicides 10
Metallurgy 72
Shipyards 1
Textiles L4J
Mining 6
Detergents It
Cement 2
Paints, resins 14
Plastics Jg
Batteries 7
Wmd 69
Others 52
Total *,
Table I : Hydrocarbm spills in Panama Bay
(from Vergara and Pizarro, I98I)
Balboa Vacarnonte
4.4mqnth
0.8 m-
70.8%
16.7Vo
L2.5%
t.r%
0.796
28.5%
67.5%
).1/mon\h
O.fl)l m-
87.2%
2.6%
I0.2%
19.4%
doi.sY'
Tfe available information zuggests that the pollution problem in the Gulf of panama,
centered in the Bay of Panama, is ,srious' on the basis of the following facts (Kwiecinsky,
t98t ):
- biological pollution indicated by the presence near the etrore of lhe bay of faecal coliforms
reaching I60,m0/100 ml as a result of untreaLed dsnestic discharges;
- eutrophieation and the presence of hydrogen zulfide (r+ to 1.5 ppm) in the center of lhe
Bay (between Paitilla and Casco), producing a I'drastic decrease in the diversity of
marine fauna'r and disagreeable odors, mainly caused by wastes from fishing industries;
- negative effects in recrea[ional areas (Amador Beach); and
- the presence of amounts of lubricants and fuels.