Local News in Brief : Huntington Beach : Bag of Surgical Waste Spewed Along Street
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A bag of sterilized surgical waste fell off a truck and broke open Wednesday morning, spewing used blood bags and surgical tubing along a Huntington Beach street.
Three bags fell onto Warner Avenue near Beach Boulevard, and one was broken open by passing cars, prompting police to call County Health Department officials to the scene.
The bags had been steam sterilized to remove viruses or bacteria and posed no threat to the public, said Sharon Dixon, a hazardous-waste specialist with the Health Department.
Police at first had received reports that body parts were strewn across the busy intersection, but officers found only blood bags, containers and tubing from nearby Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.
The bags were being transported by Rainbow Disposal Co. Inc. of Huntington Beach to a transfer center and then to a landfill.
One of the company’s drivers noticed part of the load was missing when he arrived at Rainbow, manager Stan Tkaczyk said. Tkaczyk and another employee drove by the spill site, “asked questions and put two and two together,” Tkaczyk said.
No one was cited.
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