Tall oil spill from SCA pollutes Obbola beaches; Umeå advises against swimming

Tall oil from SCA’s Obbola factory polluted local beaches, prompting Umeå municipality to advise against swimming. The leak occurred during maintenance on Wednesday and was larger than usual. Although the organic wood byproduct is not toxic, it is sticky and can irritate skin, sicken dogs, and harm marine life. Cleanup of affected shore areas began Thursday. The coast guard found no signs of oil spreading. Officials are deciding where to place oil collected by private landowners.