Pallone to Introduce Legislation to Regulate Medical Waste

Washington, D.C. --- With the news of more medical waste washing up on the Jersey Shore over Labor Day weekend, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) announced today that he will introduce legislation that would set a nationwide uniform tracking system for medical waste and would set standards for the handling, disposal and treatment of this waste.

Clean Ocean Action, an organization that advocates keeping our shores clean, called the legislation a necessary step in continuing to keep our coastal environment pristine.

On August 23, between 100 and 200 intravenous needles, along with cotton swabs and pill casings, were found on the beaches in Avalon, Ocean City, Sea Isle City and Strathmere, New Jersey, causing sections of those beaches to close for several days over the past few weeks.

The discovery of these needles reminded many of the summer of 1988 when thousands of beach-going days were lost because of medical waste washing up on the shore. In order to address the syringes, blood bags and bandages that were found on the shore 20 years ago, Congress passed the Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988 (MWTA). The legislation was the federal government's first attempt at a demonstration program to track, separate, contain and label medical waste to protect handlers and the public. It expired in 1999 and was not reauthorized. Currently, a patchwork of state legislation exists to address medical waste dumping.

"While I am pleased that New Jersey took the lead on this issue and enacted stringent medical waste laws, federal legislation is needed to address the nationwide medical waste problem that continues to affect our nation's shores, lakes and rivers," Pallone said. "The legislation I will introduce will ensure consistency within the law so that we can end interstate dumping."

The proposed legislation would require a cradle-to-grave tracking system of all forms of medical waste and would implement registration to all generators of waste. The bill would lay out regulations to allow for smooth compliance for hospitals, health clinics, home source users and other medical waste generators.

Pallone also believes that strong criminal enforcement is necessary to ensure that the dumping of medical waste on our beaches does not continue. The bill would grant appropriate government officials authority to investigate these crimes.

"The devastating medical waste wash-ups in Avalon these past weeks bring back the grim ghosts of the bad old days at the Jersey Shore and is a reminder that we must stay vigilant," Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, said. "We commend Congressman Pallone for taking the lead to find solutions. It is essential that as we propose a national response, we also keep the pressure on the investigation to find the polluters and hold them accountable."

"The summer of 1988 reeked havoc on the New Jersey tourism industry, in which an estimated $1 billion was lost," Pallone said. "This legislation is an important step towards enacting a uniform system that will keep our shores and waterways clean and safe."