Officials are looking into why “a large component of medical waste” has washed up on eastern shores, closing beaches in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.
National Park Service, state and local officials alerted the public that syringes, needles, feminine hygiene products and other potentially hazardous materials were found on shores Sunday morning.
The Assateague Island National Seashore — from Fenwick Island in Delaware to Chincoteague in Virginia — remains closed, with no estimated reopening. Closures so far cover around 50 miles of beaches, including the coasts in Ocean City, Maryland, and Dewey Park, Delaware.
“We do not yet have any idea of the source,” Hugh Hawthorne, superintendent of the Assateague Island National Seashore, said in an email.
