Scientists have solved the mystery of sticky black balls that began washing on beaches in Sydney, Australia last month. Thousands of the strange balls first began appearing in mid-October, including at the city’s famous Bondi Beach, leading to beach closures. The public was advised to keep a distance from the balls and not swim near or touch them.
Authorities considered several explanations for the balls, which were initially believed to have been tar from a possible spill from an oil ship or wastewater outflow. However, the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) said in a statement on Wednesday that an investigation confirmed that the balls are a combination of “fatty acids, petroleum hydrocarbons, and other organic and inorganic materials.”
Fatty acids are commonly found in products such as cooking oils, soaps, and skincare items; while petroleum hydrocarbons are chemicals that come from oil and gas products including gasoline, motor oil, and diesel fuel. The organic components likewise are comprised of naturally decomposing substances like human hair and food waste.
Each ball likely contains hundreds to thousands of different materials, and is believed to have originated from somewhere that releases mixed waste. The testing also turned up traces of recreational drugs and birth control medication. Though, authorities have yet to determine the source, with final results expected in the coming weeks.
“What we found is much more—this is not going to sound very scientific—but much more disgusting than we previously thought,” researcher William Alexander Donald told NBC News. Donald is a chemistry professor at the University of New South Wales Sydney, which conducted the testing along with the Australian government’s Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy, and Water.
“When we’re doing the testing, these balls smell worse than anything you’ve ever—at least for me, worse than anything I’ve ever smelled before,” he continued. “This is a hugely complex analytical challenge where we’ve detected hundreds of different molecules and components in these blobs.”
