Debris found on coast may not be from Japanese tsunami
The state Ecology Department says some strange flotsam reported on the Washington coast near Ocean Shores last weekend is probably not debris from the Japanese tsunami.
Ecology spokeswoman Linda Kent says the sections of pipe insulation that landed on a mile and a half of ocean beaches don’t fit the profile of early tsunami debris.
Debris that has arrived from Japan so far is quite large and floats high in the water, allowing it to be pushed ahead by the wind. Kent said Tuesday that this small light-weight insulation probably comes from somewhere closer to shore.
The debris was reported Sunday. County emergency management workers have been collecting it. Kent says the Ecology Department is sending samples to a lab to check to see if it’s fiberglass or asbestos.
