Officials baffled after mysterious sticky blobs stick to beachgoers' legs: 'I don't want to speculate'

A tar ball mystery in Florida will remain just that after officials couldn't locate the source of the substance that washed ashore last month.

What's happening?

After reports of the oily masses from Port Everglades to Palm Beach, a 50-mile portion of the Southeast Florida coast, on Feb. 15, the U.S. Coast Guard investigated but found nothing.

Beachgoers reported the sticky blobs dirtied their feet and legs and that the residue was difficult to remove. While some beaches remained open, the water was off limits.

The state Department of Environmental Protection notes that tar balls are viscous hydrocarbons that mix with debris in bodies of water and become weathered (solid or semi-solid on the outside). They can be as small as a pinhead or as large as 12 inches and reoccur, usually during spring and summer.

They come from offshore petroleum production and drilling, marine transportation discharges, and natural seepage from the ocean floor.

Why is this important?

"It's really terrible to think of what it's doing to our reefs, to our ocean, to our clean water, and, frankly, for all of our health," Linda Gonzalez, who encountered the tar balls with Mario Palazzi on the beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, told CBS News. "I don't want to speculate what's causing it, but I haven't seen it this bad in a very long time."

Watch now: Giant snails invading New York City?

While tar balls can be a natural phenomenon, it's important to highlight the harm they can do to the environment, marine life, and humans. One study showed that turtles can ingest tar balls, mistaking them for food, and that tar balls can carry human pathogens and other health hazards. They also impact the seafood industry — even after their removal — and tourism.

It goes beyond petroleum, too. Tar balls that washed up on Sydney beaches, for example, featured a combination of cooking oil, soap scum, PFAS, medications, pesticides, and more.

What's being done about tar balls?

Anyone who comes in contact with a tar ball is advised to rinse the area with clean water, scrape off the excess tar, and use a grease-removing agent or mineral oil to clean off the rest before rinsing the spot again with clean water, according to the Florida DEP.

Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home?

Yes — always 💯

Yes — often 😷

Yes — sometimes 😟

No — never 🙅

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Looking at the big picture, we can get rid of tar balls by supporting the transition to clean energy sources such as solar and wind. Dirty energy sources such as coal, oil, and gas not only pollute the environment but also cost more.