Officials are monitoring Lighthouse Point Park beach after nine hypodermic needles washed ashore Tuesday.
The beach remains open, according to city spokeswoman Elizabeth Benton.
Here’s what happened, according to Benton:
The parks department Tuesday afternoon got a report of an unused hypodermic needle on the beach. The parks and health departments “immediately secured the area where the needle was found and commenced a thorough search of the beach area.”
They found nine needles at the water line. “All but two of the needles still had caps on, leading the Health Department to believe they had not been used.”
The Health Department “does not believe there is any risk to public safety that would warrant closure of the beach,” Benton wrote in a release. “The Parks Department has thoroughly cleaned the beach area with a combing machine and will continue to do so as the tides change. Lifeguards will be walking the water line every half hour to monitor the situation.”
Because the needles appeared to have arrived by water, New Haven alerted shoreline towns to be on the lookout.
Just because they have caps on, doesn't mean they haven't been used. My dad has diabetes and he always replaces the cap before he discards a needle (which he does properly, BTW). Just sayin'.