White clumps of paraffin the size of tennis balls are washing up on the beaches a Baltic island in the second mysterious pollutant spill to hit the Baltic Sea island within a month.
The fire service and members of the state-run catastrophe response team Techniches Hilfswerk (THW) have been working the eastern coastline over the weekend, shovelling the white, waxy paraffin clumps into plastic bags.
Paraffin, a petroleum product used to make cosmetics and candles, is transported in liquid form in tanker ships. It is not poisonous unless eaten.
It does not mix with sand or water and has formed clumps the size of tennis balls on hitting the water. It is these white clumps which have now washed up on the beach.
But authorities do not know where the spill came from.
Teams are scouring the sea from the air, searching for more of the petroleum product which may be washed up on shore in the next few days. (more)
Read the whole story here: http://www.thelocal.de/20140428/environment-pollution-paraffin-wash-upruegen-beach
Source: The Local - DPA