オーストラリア：なにこの…なに…この…なに？

　オーストラリアのビーチ複数で、なにやらビー玉程度の大きさのデブリがものっそい大量に発見され、こりゃあなんだとビーチを封鎖。謎の物体の調査をした。なんか大腸菌とか不飽和脂肪酸だとか、糞便的なバクテリアとか混じってるんですが？！という結果に。

「The mysterious balls that forced the closure of several beaches in Sydney last week were found to contain saturated fatty acids, E. coli and faecal bacteria, authorities say.」

BBC Mystery balls on Sydney beaches found to contain faecal bacteria 7 hours ago

Kelly Ng

9つのビーチが封鎖された。向こうは夏かな。稼ぎ時。にもかかわらず閉鎖。
　なにやら10月以来、奇妙な黒い泡だのなんだの湧き出てきていて、それにも対処しなきゃあいけなかった。

「Nine beaches, including popular spots Manly and Dee Why, were closed on 14 January after the marble-sized balls started washing up.

It came months after thousands of black blobs started appearing on the city's coasts in October, prompting authorities to close some of its most famous beaches for several days and order a massive clean-up.」

　大清掃作戦などしたわけですが。「タールのボール」などと言われていたが、これも…食用油やせっけんカスだの、血圧の薬だとか、さらには殺虫剤やら髪の毛やらメタンフェタミンやら…ってどう考えてもこれ、下水由来物質だよ？！

「The first batch of debris in October were at first mistakenly called "tar balls" but were later found to contain everything from cooking oil and soap scum molecules, to blood pressure medication, pesticides, hair, methamphetamine and veterinary drugs.

Scientists said they resembled fat, oil and grease blobs - often called "fatbergs" - which are commonly formed in sewage systems.

But Sydney Water has reported that its water treatment plants are operating normally and that there were no known issues with waste systems in the city.」

　市当局としては、下水システムは健全であるとのこと。しかし出てきた不審物質はあからさまに下水様物質。というか常識的に考えてわざわざビーチ地下に下水管を通すとは思えず（9か所もするとはとても思えず）、…何かの不法投棄かねえ…？