Local News in Brief : Illegal Disposal of Needles Alleged
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has filed misdemeanor charges 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.
Total Pharmaceutical Care, which provides medical supplies to people who receive care at home for AIDS, cancer and other chronic illnesses, is accused of violating a state law prohibiting the disposal of needles and syringes without destroying them. Also charged were a registered nurse and a driver for the firm.
The charges stem from the Oct. 26 discovery of 93 items, including 33 unused needles, in a trash container on the street outside the company’s facility at an industrial park, City Atty. James K. Hahn said. When investigators went to the location, Hahn said, “they found children playing around the bin.”
Each violation is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
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