Australian Beach 'Black Ball'Identification'Manmade Waste'
Nov 08, 2024
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Initially, it was estimated to be oil or tar components leaked from ships, but it was analyzed as a mass of all kinds of waste.
According to local media such as NewsCom, a multidisciplinary research team at the University of New South Wales in Australia analyzed the first black balls found on Coogee Beach, a famous beach, last month.
Professor John Bebeth said "This material is much closer to man-made waste, and it is not just due to waste spills from oil spills as originally thought."
The material contained hundreds of other ingredients, including cooking oil and soap residues, feces, PFAS chemicals, steroid compounds, antihypertensive agents, pesticides, and molecules derived from animal medicines.
Radiocarbon dating has shown that it contains about 70% carbon recently made and 30% fossil carbon in the past.
Among them, carbon made in the present generation contained all carbon originating from plants and animals, not fossil fuels.
In addition, elemental and X-ray analysis showed that it contained a 'significant' level of calcium, and the levels of other metals were low.
Professor William Alexander Donald of the research team added "We are not yet sure about the exact form of calcium in the sample, but it appears that the organic components have combined to form a stable, water-insoluble solid mass.".
Government authorities emphasized that they should not touch or consume it due to the possibility of carcinogenesis.
bellho@sportschosun.com
