Several popular beaches in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia were temporarily closed after medical waste, including needles, washed ashore, according to a report by Fox News on Sunday.
The affected beaches included Ocean City, Maryland; Fenwick Island, Delaware; and both state and federal sections of Assateague Island, which spans parts of Maryland and Virginia.
Emergency services in Ocean City responded quickly, informing visitors that swimming was prohibited while urging beachgoers to wear shoes and avoid the water as an investigation was launched to find the source of the waste.
By Friday, Ocean City and Assateague Island beaches reopened to swimmers after multiple high tides and beach sweeps. Joe Theobald, Ocean City’s Emergency Services Director, stated that the waste was no longer washing ashore and water tests had returned to normal levels.
However, the North End of Assateague Island remained closed for ongoing cleanup efforts.
Video footage showed medical waste scattered along the Ocean City beach, prompting concerns from visitors interviewed by local news outlets.
Fenwick Island’s beach remained closed to swimmers, with authorities advising visitors to wear shoes to avoid stepping on needles.
While rough seas continued to be a hazard for swimmers, there were no updates from officials regarding the persistence of medical waste.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), medical waste comes from facilities such as hospitals, veterinary offices, and laboratories.
Although medical waste was a major concern in the 1980s, leading to the Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988, the EPA has not held regulatory authority over it since the Act expired in 1991.
Concerns about the health hazards of medical waste resurfaced after several instances of it washing up on East Coast beaches during that time.
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