WATER BAD IDEA: Tourists are taking selfies by a contaminated lake (Pic: GETTY)
Tourists have been flocking to a Spanish lake to take Instagram snaps.
With its crystal clear waters and hilly backdrop, the Bergantinos location looks like the perfect photography hotspot.
But while the location looks very picturesque, the Monte Neme waters are more dangerous than they seem.
The area is chemically contaminated as it was used for mining in the first and second World Wars.
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Monte Neme has been given a number of different nicknames.
While its been dubbed the Galician Chernobyl by some, its described as the Toxic Maldives by others.
The area was used to make lightbulbs and steel during WWI and WWII.
And even though decades have since passed, heavy metals and lead can still be found in the quarry and waters.
For this reason, visitors are urged to keep their distance from the location.
SELFIE-OBSESSED: Instagrammers have flocked to the area, despite warnings (Pic: GETTY)
Despite these warnings, many tourists head to Monte Neme to take pictures.
While some stand by the turquoise lake, others dare to go for a paddle.
A local Instagram user told Publico she bathed in the waters because they are “very pretty”.
She added that her dip caused her to develop a skin rash and feelings of nausea, which affected her for two weeks.
The local newspaper claims: "More than one has had to be hospitalised for damage to the skin and digestive system after swallowing its turquoise waters."
Dr. Manuel Ferreiro, of the emergency service of the University Hospital of Coruña (CHUAC), spoke about the dangers of the lake.
He said that paddling in the water could cause eye damage and skin irritation.
Despite this, he said the effects of taking dip are unlikely to be too serious if exposure to contamination doesnt last very long.
He told Cadena Cope: "If we bathe, the most likely are ocular and irritative problems, irritation of the ocular mucous membranes and skin irritations.
“If it is a prolonged way and we consume some water, (it will cause) mainly digestive disorders, vomiting and later diarrhoea.
“If it is a short bathe it would not be serious.”
Monte Neme isnt the only potentially dangerous location that holidaymakers have been visiting.
Previously, we revealed that visitors were booking trips to a blue lake in Russia – dubbed the “Siberian Maldives”.
Worryingly, the tourist hotspot is an ash dump for a nearby power plant.
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