A sticky yellow mass with lumps the size of cornlets covering the beaches of western Sweden has left locals puzzled and the authorities scratching their heads for answers.
Since the beginning of January, reports of similar discoveries have been made on at least 25 beaches in the area between Grebbestad and the border with Norway outside Strömstad.
“I touched it. It's a little messy, like wax maybe”, local man Nils-Erik Karlsson told the newspaper Göteborgs-Posten.
Tweet: "The yellow mass is not dangerous".
In 2014, large, yellow lumps the size of coconuts were found in several places in Norway. An analysis from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) revealed traces of toluene, benzene and xylene, all of which are used in solvents and can be harmful to a person's health. The lumps were subsequently sent to the Defence Research Institute (FFI), which concluded that the lumps consisted of almost pure vegetable oil and thus were harmless.