Tar ball levels on some beaches in Cameroon

This paper presents data on levels of tar ball deposits on some beaches in Cameroon. It is also aimed at educating the coastal population on possible control measures. Both environmental monitoring and clean-up are important components of integrated coastal management. Three sampling sites, which include commercial (fishing and transport), touristic and reference beaches, were sampled for stranded tar balls between September 1995 and August 1996. Tar balls were collected by hand, usually at low tide, within a sampling area of 500 m2, followed by counting and weighing. No trends were observed in the temporal and spatial distribution of the tar balls. Mean monthly concentrations of 0.31, 4.88 and 0.11 g m−2 respectively were obtained for the three beaches sampled, with the highest value of 4.88 g m−2 obtained at the touristic beach near the oil refinery (SO.NA.RA.). These concentrations, which fell within the levels recorded in other studies, reflect the influence of coastal processes and impact of refinery activities and vessels in transit. The application of a recommended method of discarding of tar ball deposits through hand-picking resulted in the removal of 229 tar balls over a distance of 0.4 km. These were discarded at the Limbe municipality waste disposal site (located behind Limbe main market) followed by burning. This acted as a forum to educate the coastal population on control measures which could help to create a healthy coastal environment.