Several beaches in and around Sydney, including the world-famous Bondi Beach, have been closed down after hundreds of “mysterious black balls” appeared, local authorities said.
According to Waverley Council, the Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches were closed as a precaution, and the nearby Randwick Council closed an extra four beaches to the south.
According to Reuters, Bondi and Maroubra Beach have reopened to the public. However, with more balls washing up, it is to be expected that more beaches will have to close over the coming days.
“As we look up and down the coast, there may be other beaches that are close,” NSW Maritime director Darren Wood told ABC Radio Sydney. ”We don’t believe it’s safe enough to be at the beach or swimming at the moment until we can get the full clean-up done.”
Local councils too are concerned about the matter and motivated to keep the beaches closed as long as necessary.
“The well-being of our community is paramount. That’s why Council has taken precautions to close our beaches,” Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh commented.
The hundreds of black balls may look intriguing and mysterious yet their story is rather grim. According to the NSW Environment Protection Authority, tests have proven for them to be so-called tar balls, made out of oil and debris.
“When oil spills into the ocean, initially, it’s not got this structure at all. It’s usually a liquid,” Scientia Professor Matthew England from the UNSW Centre for Marine Science and Innovation explained to ABC News. “It spreads out over the surface of the ocean, but over time, the oil bonds with other surface pollution, and also surface matter. Those tar balls are spherical because of the action of wind, waves and weathering.”
According to Professor Matthew England, people are warned not to touch the tar balls, even though thoroughly washing their hands afterwards should suffice for them to be fine. According to him, the danger of the balls is their wider impact as they’re proof of a more widespread pollution. Ingesting the balls or eating fish who in their turn have ingested the tar would be highly toxic.
