Charges Filed in Medical Supplies Case

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office filed misdemeanor charges Thursday against a Chatsworth company and two of its employees, accusing them of illegally tossing unused hypodermic needles, syringes and other medical supplies into the trash without destroying them.

Total Pharmaceutical Care, which provides medical supplies to patients who receive care at home, is accused of violating a state law against disposing of needles and syringes without destroying them.

Also accused of violating the law are Paula Belsh, 33, a registered nurse employed by the company, and Ronald Jandreau, 47, a driver for the firm.

Each violation is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The charges stem from the Oct. 26 discovery of 93 items, including 33 unused needles and three unused syringes, in a dumpster on the street outside the company’s facility at an industrial park at 21818 Lassen Street, City Atty. James K. Hahn said.

The dumpster was used by all occupants of the industrial park and was accessible to anyone, said Hahn, who added that when investigators went to the location on Oct. 26, “they found children playing around the bin.”

The medical supplies were found in packages at the bottom of the bin by a driver working for a neighboring company who phoned the county Department of Health Services, authorities said.

After interviewing personnel at the company, an investigator said he determined that the supplies had been picked up from a private home by Jandreau. As part of her job at Total Pharmaceutical, Belsh was supposed to make sure they were disposed of properly, Deputy City Atty. Vincent B. Sato said.

“However, the box and contents were tossed in the bin by Jandreau without being checked by either him or Belsh,” Sato said.

The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 29 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

Ildi Bodor, manager of the Chatsworth office of the Torrance-based pharmaceutical company, called the incident a one-time occurrence. She said the employees have since been retrained in the proper methods of disposal. She said that company policy calls for disposing of medical equipment in sealed containers, to be taken separately from other trash to landfills.

“Everyone is going to be more careful,” she said.

Hahn said the improper disposal of infectious wastes and hypodermic needles is a growing problem.