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Syringe tube found on beach in Surf City
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SURF CITY - A Long Beach Island Health Department official confirmed Thursday that an empty syringe tube was found on the Division Street beach Wednesday afternoon.
Health Department Director Tim Hilferty said one barrel without a needle from a syringe was turned in Wednesday. This comes after what has been described by local and state officials as "home medical waste" was found along an eight-mile stretch of beach on the island June 28. Officials did not notify the public until The Press of Atlantic City broke the story June 30. Hilferty said he did not believe the public was in any danger.
Hilferty said all items found since June 28 have been turned over to the state Department of Environmental Protection as evidence to determine if an investigation will be pursued.
DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said she was not aware of the new item that was found, but it could be part of the garbage that washed ashore June 28.
Makatura said the home medical garbage most likely was disposed of improperly, ended up in sewers and washed ashore.
Makatura said it was impossible to trace where the home medical waste came from.
"It's garbage, so it can't be traced. When there's a large amount of medical waste dumped unintentionally or intentionally, it can be traced because there are serial numbers," Makatura said.
As an example where tracing the materials proved effective, Makatura referred to a medical waste dumping case in August 2008 when Avalon closed a portion of its beaches after medical debris, including small plastic needles, 8-inch cotton swabs and pill casings, washed ashore. Ocean City also prohibited swimming on some beaches after syringes were found. Dentist Thomas McFarland Jr. later confessed to dumping the waste from his small boat off Avalon.
As far as witnesses such as Anne Leyden, of Cheltenham, Pa., who told The Press June 30 that in addition to syringes, she saw catheters, butterfly catheters, medical tubing, blood test tubes, urine specimen bottles, condoms, fecal bags and hazardous waste bags on the beach, officials have none of these items Makatura said.
Leyden, a surgical nurse and medical illustrator, said there were piles of medical waste up and down the beach in Barnegat Light, and you couldn't walk without stepping in it.
Mike Courtney, of White Plains, N.Y., also told The Press that his cousin saw syringes, urine bottles and a latex medical glove. Lifeguards also ordered people out of the water June 28.
Tracing these items also will be impossible for the authorities.
"Unfortunately, she's the only one who saw it and we don't have any evidence of it. We need her to call our hot line number, or if she has a cell phone with a camera, to take a picture of it," Makatura said.
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Posted in Top_three on Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:55 pm Updated: 11:08 pm.
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