Photos: Weird Yellow Fluff Balls Wash Up on French Beaches

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Yellow blobs

Sea Waste — (Image credit: Sea-Mer Association)

Foamy material

The blobs looked a bit like foam, yellow earwax or mousse.

Mysterious origin

The yellow blobs washed ashore over the course of several days, along several beaches in the tourist heavy portion of North France.

Not quite foam

The balls have a slightly brittle texture and don't really resemble foam, but though they seem like paraffin, they don't smell like it and don't melt in the sun.

Tons of waste

So far tons of waste has washed up.

Beach pollution

Here, a view of the foam tangled up with kelp.

Cleanup

The organization Sea-Mer Association has been trying to clean up the foam, so children don't use it to adorn their sand castles.

Foam balls everywhere

Here, another view of the foam balls tangled with other pollution.

Mysterious source

It's not clear what caused the pollution, but one possibility is that grease from hot boat exhaust mixed with cold sea water, creating these clumps

Mixed material

Once the pollution is in the water, it can mix with other contaminants.

Danger

So far, officials say the flotsam poses no risk to human health, but people from the Sea-Mer Association say it's not safe to touch until it's identified.

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