South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

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Tar Balls

Oil will ‘weather’ to form small, hard, floating black pellets or chunks of oil called tar balls.

Tar balls that wash up on the beach are usually the size of a coin.

What is a tar ball?

When crude oil floats on the ocean’s surface, it spreads out in a thin shiny slick. The water and wind tear it into smaller patches, which are scattered over a wider area. Physical, chemical and biological changes evaporate the lighter parts of the oil, leaving the heavier parts to mix with water to form a thicker, stickier substance called emulsion, which looks like chocolate pudding.  Wind and waves continue to stretch and tear the oil into smaller pieces — these are tar balls.

By the time they wash up on a beach, tar balls are usually coin-sized. However tar balls as large as a pancake have also been found.

If you see a tar ball on a South Carolina beach this summer, don’t panic. Here is what to do:

• Note the tar ball’s color and appearance and the location, date and time.
• Report it to the Coast Guard (the lead government agency) by calling 1-800-424-8802 or fill out a form on the Coast Guard’s Website.
• Don’t pick up the tar ball. They may seem firm on the outside, but if broken open they will reveal a sticky interior, much like a toasted marshmallow. They can soil your hands and clothing.
• If skin contact occurs, wash with soap and water or remove with baby oil. If you get oil on your clothes, launder them as normal.
• Do not burn trash or driftwood contaminated with oil.

After reporting the tar ball to the Coast Guard, you may also report it to DHEC directly by calling:

• Horry and Georgetown Counties: (843) 238-4378
• Charleston County (843) 953-0150
• Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper Counties: (843) 846-1030.