– It is harmful to the environment. I am worried about the birds that are in the middle of the breeding season. They catch a lot of their food on beaches. This is very unfortunate. That’s what Per Bendixen, leader of the Nature Conservation Association in Lillesand, says. At the start of the week, the first report came that the guardrail had been gnawed by some white, foul-smelling lumps. On the same day, 170 liters of pollution was collected from the reef outside the southern village. Many help with the clean-up Jan Olav Johnsen, head of the Skjergardstenesta in Lillesand, has had a few hectic days. – It’s the third day of the week. Today, there are probably over twenty people out collecting the pig litter, and we will come enough to last the whole weekend, he says. A steady stream of professionals and volunteers have flocked to the beaches and islets in the southern idyll. – This litters other beaches and bird reserves outside Lillesand, says Johnsen. The lumps are typically the size of a fist, or slightly smaller. Photo: Per Bendixen / Naturvernforbundet Naturvernforbundet fears the consequences Per Bendixen of the Naturvernforbundet has followed the situation closely. – We were the ones who reported the pollution on Saturday. It didn’t take long before messages came in from many places. So far, we have received reports of surcharges all the way from Kristiansand to Grimstad. Bendixen has also been out cleaning itself. Per Bendixen, head of the Nature Conservancy in Lillesand Photo: private Now the Nature Conservancy is anxiously waiting for the analyzes that can tell exactly what this is. – The lumps may crumble or melt if it gets warmer. Then it becomes much more difficult to clean up and the environment and birdlife become even more vulnerable. Bendixen further says that he is impressed by how the municipality handled the notice. – They really took it seriously and were involved in both cleaning and organisation. Many people are out on the beaches around Lillesand to clean up. Photo: Per Bendixen / Naturvernforbundet Can be toxic Jan Olav Johnsen in the skergard stone test says that samples of the white lumps have been sent for analysis. The answer is expected on Monday. – It is most likely from tankers who often clean their tanks with kerosene. A problem here is that one cannot know what was in the tanks, and thus has mixed with the kerosene. Skjergardstenesta has advised people to use gloves when handling the lumps. – This could harm birds and children, we fear. We don’t know for sure what it is. We will stand day and night until the reef is cleared, says Johnsen. Around 400 liters of these white lumps have been found. Photo: Per Bendixen / Naturvernforbundet Similar discoveries have been made in several places in recent years. Among other things in the Oslofjord and west in Agder. In 2020, 400 kilograms of paraffin wax were found on a beach outside Fredrikstad. The Norwegian Nature Conservation Association concluded at the time that only a fraction of the spill was found. The cause of the spill was never proven, but it was assumed that it came from a tanker washing its tanks somewhere in the North Sea. In 2021, large quantities were found along the beaches inside the Oslo Fjord. Rune Bergstrøm in the Coastal Administration’s Emergency Department told Gjengangaren at the time that paraffin wax acts as a laxative and could have an adverse effect on, for example, children and birds.
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Kerosene spill litters the reef in Lillesand – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
