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Human waste, drugs detected in balls that washed up on Sydney shores

The Straits Times

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November 10, 2024

When mysterious black balls started washing up on the beaches of Sydney in south-eastern Australia in October, they were initially thought to be tar balls.

- Vihanya Rakshika

Human waste, drugs detected in balls that washed up on Sydney shores

But a team of scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) recently discovered that the truth is far more nauseating.

These balls are actually mini "fatbergs", composed of human waste, methamphetamine, hair, food remnants and a bewildering mix of hundreds of other vile substances that were not specified.

When the unsettling black spheres started dotting the shores in October, it prompted the closure of seven popular beaches after lifeguards raised the alarm and cleanup efforts began.

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