Hundreds of syringes were spotted on Jersey Shore beaches, warning visitors of possible danger of stepping on them accidentally. Syringes were said to have washed up on the beaches after the areas experienced tropical rainstorm, last week. Currently, the possible source of syringes also has been identified.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said that the source of needles is likely to be sewers that overflowed from the downpour due to Tropical Storm Elsa. The syringes were discovered on beaches, including Monmouth Beach, Sandy Hook and Long Branch.
Reports claim that the syringes might have been caused by sewer runoff from New York City. The stretch from Sandy Hook to Long Branch is under watch. Lifeguards worked hard for several days to collect and remove needles from the sand. Patrollers are warning the visitors of dangers of stepping on the syringes in the water.
Workers at Seven Presidents Park are said to have found more than 100 syringes on the shore. As patrolling staff found more syringes, the beaches in Monmouth Beach and Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch were closed for visitors on July 10.
The patrolling staff got busy collecting needles. But as the place looked safer, the beaches were opened for visitors, later. However, patrollers are constantly on lookout for needles and are asking the visitors to be careful.
Medical Waste Management a Major Problem
Reports claim that according to patrollers, most of the needles came from diabetics who flushed their used needles down the toilet. A probe into a similar situation in 2018, New York City and North Jersey sewer systems, were said to be the sources of medical waste that flooded into the waters and later washed up on the Jersey Shore following a storm.
A large number of syringes were found floating at the Jersey Shore way back in 1980s too. There were reports of raw sewage outflows and medical waste washing up at the Shore. Between 1980 and 1988, the Shore beaches were said to be closed more than 800 times. The main reason for closure was washing up of medical waste including syringes. Dumping of medical waste was banned in 1988 and incidents of syringes being spotted on Jersey Shores also came to an end.
Currently, Jersey beaches have been reopened after careful patrolling. After cleaning up on July 12 and 13, no more syringes have been found on the Jersey Shore beaches.
