Australian scientists have solved a mystery plaguing Sydney: what was the sticky black blob that washed up on some of the city’s famous beaches last month?
Researchers said they were initially thought to be tar balls, but were actually a “disgusting” combination of human feces, cooking oil, chemicals and illegal drugs.
Since October 16, thousands of black deposits have begun to appear, and eight beaches, including Bondi, have been closed for several days and a massive cleanup ordered.
Tests by chemists determined the balls were likely the result of a sewage leak, although their exact origin remains unknown.
Last month, New South Wales authorities said they suspected the objects were a mixture of fatty acids, fuels and chemicals found in cleaning and cosmetics.
But further testing found the materials were unlikely to originate solely from oil spills or ship waste, as some thought.
Each ball is slightly different, but all have a hard surface (partially hardened by the accumulation of minerals like sand and calcium) and a soft core.
It’s filled with everything from cooking oil and soap scum molecules to blood pressure medications, pesticides, hair, methamphetamine and veterinary drugs.
“They smell absolutely disgusting, worse than anything you’ve ever smelled,” lead researcher Jon Beves, associate professor at the University of New South Wales, told 9News.
Professor William Alexander Donald said they resemble lumps of fat, oil and grease – commonly known as fat lumps – that often form in sewage systems.
He explained that the detection of this substance, along with recreational drugs and industrial chemicals, “points us to sewage and other sources of municipal wastewater.”
Researchers say they have received unconfirmed reports of smaller but otherwise similar balls washing ashore in the past two years.
Sydney Water reports there are no known issues with the city’s waste system.
