The Nation - News from July 20, 1988

Small amounts of medical debris were found on beaches in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, more than 100 miles from the New York and New Jersey shores, where larger quantities of medical waste have washed up in past weeks. The waste poses no specific health risk, officials said. But some states closed the affected beaches. Rhode Island officials said they had little doubt the needles and syringes, catheter bags and other debris were related to the other finds. Some waste was found on Connecticut beaches last week.