An unidentified 'black ball' that washed up on the beach...Australia's Ocean Pollution Alert

[Anchor]
Marine pollution is known to not only destroy marine ecosystems but also directly affect human health through the food chain.
An unidentified black substance has been discovered on a beach in Sydney, Australia, raising awareness about marine pollution.

Reporter Yoon Young-chul has the news.

[Reporter]
Sydney Coogee Beach, Australia, a world-class tourist attraction with beautiful blue waves and white sand.

Unidentified black substances have appeared here for a while, where countless people visit to enjoy swimming and sunbathing.

[Rachel Dait / Coogee Beach resident] As usual, I went swimming in the morning and saw a black lump on the beach. I didn't really care, but the beach was closed that afternoon and access was closed to investigate it.]

Australian authorities initially predicted 'tarballs' made from oil spills,
Analysis of
revealed that it is a mass of about 30% fossil fuels and 70% human-made sewage residue, also known as 'Patberg'.

Calcium aggregates organic chemicals into insoluble chunks when soap residue and human waste are mixed in the sewage system,

It is unusual to appear on the beach like this because it has been found mainly in dirty sewage systems in European cities.

[Peter Green / Coogee Beach resident] At first, I thought it was a regular tarball that fell off a boat, but it recently turned out that the tarball was very toxic.]

Experts warn that these debris go beyond just polluting the environment and pose a serious threat to marine life.

In particular, when fish eat, toxic substances accumulate in the body and eventually affect humans through the food chain.

[Professor Matthew England/University of New South Wales] I think on an industrial scale, cooking oil or some kind of oil was dumped into the sewage system, and it was aggregated and brought into Sydney Beach in the form of tarballs.]

The problem is that in addition to Sydney's Coogee Beach, black balls have been found on eight additional beaches, and the cause of the occurrence is still unknown.

Australian authorities temporarily closed beaches where black balls were found and launched a major cleanup operation.

Environmental protection organizations are also working to collect about 80 kilograms of waste and promote the importance of protecting the marine environment beyond simple cleanup operations.

[Rob Bradley / Conservation Coordinator: We even found solar panels while cleaning up beaches and surrounding areas that lead to them. There were broken car windows, and there were still many bottles and cans. We are trying to prevent waste from entering the sea through the river.

A 'black ball' incident that raised awareness by showing the seriousness of marine pollution.

In order to protect the clean sea, not only continuous institutional support but also individuals are in desperate need of active practice and attention.

I'm YTN World Yoon Youngchul from Sydney, Australia.