Kicker: Sea tires

NICK EICHER, HOST: Perhaps you’ve had second thoughts after making a big decision.

But let’s hope your regrets aren’t quite on the scale of those of a group of scientists in France.

Back in the 1980s, they had a theory that seemed like a good idea at the time: Let’s dump 25,000 used tires into the Mediterranean Sea.

What could possibly go wrong with that?

They thought repurposing the tires might create a sea-life sanctuary. They thought, maybe fish and coral could form a habitat in the tires.

But a study in 2005 by scientists at the University of Nice showed the mostly unused tires were actually leaching toxins into the water.

So now French officials have called the whole thing off. But they’ve had to hire work crews to scoop the tires off the seafloor. The cleanup is expected to last through early 2019.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.