Medical waste comes ashore in Delaware
Syringes and other medical waste have washed up on Delaware beaches.
The debris, which is made up of mostly plastic items, started washing on shore at Slaughter and Broadkill Beaches as well as other sites on Sunday. State environmental officials believe the trash was caught up in flood waters caused by heavy rains and Hurricane Irene.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is offering bags and other material to help volunteers willing to come out to remove the trash. They warn anyone on the beach to be on the lookout for medical waste or other hazardous material, which they say should not be touched. Anyone who finds such material should call DNREC’s 24-hour emergency response hotline at 1-800-662-8802.
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