ST. JOHN’S, NL. –

A Memorial University scientist says mysterious white spots washing up on Newfoundland beaches are actually pieces of plastic and need to be cleaned up.

Earth sciences professor Hilary Corlett picked up some sticky balls on a beach in Arnold’s Cove, Newfoundland, last month and brought them to chemistry professor Christopher Kozak.

He ran a series of tests and determined that the blobs were made of polyvinyl acetate, a plastic commonly found in adhesives.

Corlett says tests show the mess is plastic pollution and safe to touch, and she hopes beach cleanup efforts will be made to remove it.

She also hopes authorities will work to determine where the substance came from and whether there are other, perhaps much larger, drops on the ocean floor.

Environment Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but said Friday its scientists were analyzing the substance and officials could not speculate on what it might be or where it came from.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 5, 2024.