Greenpeace reveal odd shape floating in China's waters is actually a toxic waste spill Footage of the toxic waste spill off China's south-eastern coastline. Courtesy: YouTube/Greenpeace The strange pattern has been captured via Google earth. Picture: Google Earth Source: Supplied AT first glance, it could easily be mistaken for a giant sea monster or alien life form but the reality is far scarier. This toxic plume of wastewater, which is the equivalent of 50 Olympic swimming pools, has been spotted off China's south eastern coastline. In fact the spill is so big it has been captured via satellite imagery. According to environmental activist group Greenpeace, the spill which is next to the city Shishi and near a Children's clothing factory, is highly toxic and contains a range of hazardous chemicals including the hormone disrupter nonylphenol. In its A Monstrous Mess report, Greenpeace claims research showed the plume was coming out of a discharge pipe from the Wubao Dyeing Industrial zone and, in particular, the Haitian Environmental Engineering wastewater treatment plant. The plant serves 19 of Shishi's textile dyeing facilities. The Greenpeace document also reveals 32.2 billion tons of wastewater are released into China's waters each year. It wouldn't be the first time China had suffered toxic pollution. In February 2012, a chemical spill contaminated a major river in southern China, threatening the water supply of millions of people. Authorities in Guangxi Province first detected cadmium, a chemical used to manufacture batteries and paints, in the Longjiang River on the month before. The chemical led to a 100-kilometre stretch of the river being contaminated with clean up crews working around the clock to contain the spill.