Police probe site of needle dump
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A dumping site of hundreds of needles was found off Upper Cold River Road in Shrewsbury on Monday. Vyto Starinskas / Rutland Herald |
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By Brent Curtis Staff Writer - Published: April 21, 2009
SHREWSBURY — Police are investigating the illegal dumping of hundreds, if not thousands, of used hypodermic needles and syringes off Upper Cold River Road.
A state police detective and the town's health officer sifted through boxes, bags and plastic containers that were overflowing with capped needles, household trash and visibly used syringes that were dumped just downstream from the covered Brown Bridge. Bloody rags and syringes were also among the litter as was a spoon containing white powder, according to state police Detective Sgt. Albert Abdelnour, who said he believed some of the needles may have been used by intravenous drug users.
The scenic river gorge is a popular spot for illegal dumping, the detective said.
Abdelnour and health officer Irene Gordon characterized the waste dumped near the waterline as a biohazard which could easily have been swept away by the Cold River if a fisherman hadn't found the site on Sunday.
"If the water was up, all this stuff would be in the river," Gordon's husband Bob Gordon said.
If the needles had made it into the river, Abdelnour and Irene Gordon said they would be dealing with a major public health crisis.
"It would be a huge health risk," Abdelnour said. "A lot of the blood in these syringes is still liquefied. If the person who used them had AIDS, then you would have a major health hazard on our hands."
"It would have been a very bad situation," Irene Gordon agreed. "We got lucky."
Gordon said the town planned to pay to have the needles and other waste removed. She said she planned to contract with a company that disposes of medical waste, but she didn't know how much it would cost the town.
Abdelnour said he hoped to track down the person who dumped the waste by using receipts and other identifying documents found in the trash. The detective said he is also appealing to the public for help from anyone who might recognize photographs of the household garbage at the scene.
"I'm hoping someone has seen this stuff before," he said.
Penalties for the person who dumped the waste could be extremely high.
At the least, the offender would face a charge for illegal dumping from the state. But due to the hazardous nature of what was dumped, Abdelnour said it's possible that felony charges could be sought.
While the detective said it appeared the needles and syringes were used, at least in part, for illegal drug use, Irene Gordon wondered if the needles weren't dumped by a doctor's office or a veterinarian — or a company hired to dispose of medical waste.
"Usually medical practitioners contract with someone to get rid of medical waste responsibly. But sometimes they don't," she said.
brent.curtis@rutlandherald.com