But Letter to Wilson Skips Orange County Vials : Navy Takes Blame for San Diego Medical Flotsam

The Navy is acknowledging responsibility for some medical waste that washed ashore in San Diego County last month, but the source of the chemical vials that drifted onto Orange County beaches remains a mystery, Sen. Pete Wilson’s office said Wednesday in Washington.

“The Navy has said the investigation is continuing, and the senator expects information (about the chemical vials) later on,” said Amy Piskura, a spokeswoman in Wilson’s office.

At a State Lands Commission hearing Tuesday in Santa Monica, Orange County Environmental Health Director Robert Merryman said there were strong indications that the chemical waste found on county beaches “came from the Navy.”

A Navy spokesman, however, denied Merryman’s assertions, saying the origin of the chemical vials has not been determined.

Ball’s letter made no mention of the wastes found in Orange County, although Wilson specifically asked for the Navy to account for the items found in both San Diego and Orange counties.

Piskura said Wednesday that the Navy will probably have a report on the chemicals found in Orange County “in follow-up correspondence to Sen. Wilson.”

Wilson (R-Calif.) demanded a Navy investigation shortly after military-issue medical waste items washed up in the two counties in early November.

Wilson on Wednesday released a copy of the letter he received this week from Navy Secretary William L. Ball III about the investigation.

Ball’s letter said a discarded prescription bottle and a first-aid bag have been traced to the Navy, but it said nothing about the 70 vials of chemicals that washed up in Orange County Nov. 14. Those odd-looking vials were later found to be military-issue antiseptics intended to protect servicemen in case of chemical-biological warfare.

No branch of the armed services, however, has acknowledged dumping the vials.

While not toxic to the skin, the chemicals could have caused internal injuries if ingested by children, according to Orange County public health officials.

When the vials first washed ashore in Orange County, state and local officials expressed alarm and handled the strange-looking plastic bottles with extraordinary care. The officials said at the time that they had never seen anything like the chemicals before, adding that they feared that the substances might explode if exposed to air.

A day later, however, tests found that the chemicals were neither toxic nor explosive. The Orange County Environmental Health Waste Management Section said the vials contained antiseptics. Officials, however, warned that the chemicals should still be kept away from young children who might be tempted to open a vial and eat the crystals inside.

Navy Secretary Ball, in his letter to Wilson this week, said: “In order to facilitate tracking of wastes, the Navy is cooperating with public health offices in San Diego to assist local officials in determining the origin of supplies or wastes and will apprise you of the results of these cooperative efforts.”

Wilson, in a prepared statement Wednesday, said: “To its credit, the Navy is reevaluating its policy for the disposal of medical waste at sea. It is now considering a ban on the disposal of all medical waste in the oceans.”