Couple Faces Massive Fine for Gender Reveal That Polluted Part of City's Water Supply
The gender reveal of a new child — what could possibly go wrong?
Well, apparently a lot.
In Mato Grosso, Brazil, authorities said a couple dyed a waterfall to match the gender of their child, according to The Washington Post.
The waterfall, Cachoeira Queima-Pé, turned a bright blue, signaling they were having a boy — and sparking a government investigation.
Mato Grosso’s Public Ministry said putting a substance in the water “constitutes an infraction” against a Brazilian law that bans “throwing solid, liquid or gaseous waste or debris, oils or oily substances” into the environment.
The fine for a violation is anywhere from roughly $900 to almost $10,000, according to the Post.
One Twitter user said of the incident, “Seriously, they thought it was a good idea to put dye in a waterfall?!”
É sério que acharam uma boa ideia colocar corante numa cachoeira?!
Tantas maneiras de fazer um chá revelação e conseguiram escolher justo uma com impacto ambiental. pic.twitter.com/YePJ0lPhhQ— A Eng. Florestal do YouTube 🌳 (@vanecosta10) September 26, 2022
This isn’t the first time a gender reveal went awry.
In 2020, a massive forest fire in San Bernardino County, California was “caused by a smoke generating pyrotechnic device, used during a gender reveal party,” according to a state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection news release.
The fire destroyed almost 23,000 acres and claimed the life of a firefighter, according to the San Bernardino Sun.
The couple — Refugio and Angelina Jimenez — are facing 30 criminal charges, including involuntary manslaughter.
In another instance of reveals gone wrong, a plane crashed in 2019 in Texas, according to KLBK-TV in Lubbock.
The plane was carrying 350 gallons of pink water for someone’s special moment.
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in that case.
In 2017, an off-duty Border Patrol agent in Arizona decided he wanted the announce the gender of his child by shooting at a target that contained the explosive substance Tannerite, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
That decision resulted in a fire that caused more than $8.2 million in damage in an area south of Tucson.
And cost the new dad $220,000 after he pleaded guilty to the stunt.
Everyone is trying to get Instagram likes or the next viral video. Instead of trying to capture the “moment” for a social media post, the act of bringing a new life into the world should be enough to celebrate with friends and family.
Have a party and celebrate — just as long as no damage occurs in the process.
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