Several municipalities in Denmark, including Varde, Ringkøbing-Skjern, and Holstebro, have reported finding paraffin wax on their beaches. The pollution also affected Rømø, where oil lumps were discovered along a 20-kilometer stretch of coastline.

The affected municipalities are actively cleaning up the beaches, and the Environmental Protection Agency will reimburse their costs. Cleanup efforts are underway and are expected to be completed next week in Rømø.

Paraffin wax, identified as yellow lumps, is suspected to originate from tank flushing on tankers. This practice has been banned since 2021. Ryan Metcalfe, the national coordinator for KIMO Denmark, expressed concern about the reappearance of paraffin wax along a significant portion of the West Coast after the ban.

Paraffin is classified as an oil product, and municipalities are required to report its presence on beaches to the Environmental Protection Agency. The Environmental Protection Agency believes the paraffin pollution in the affected municipalities likely shares a common origin: tank flushing from tankers transporting oil products.

The Environmental Protection Agency is monitoring the situation to determine if further action is necessary or if this is an isolated event. While there have been past incidents of paraffin wax washing ashore, no cases were reported after the 2021 ban until now. Paraffin wax poses a threat to seabirds, which can mistake it for food and ingest it.