Avalon beach pollution "a purposeful act"

When needles, cotton swabs and blue pill casings began washing up on Avalon's beaches over the weekend, borough officials quickly became suspicious.

This didn't look like an accident.

The medical waste was concentrated along a short stretch of the Cape May County shoreline, making it unlikely that it had fallen from a barge at sea and been carried in by the tide.

That left the officials, joined by investigators from the state Attorney General's Office and Department Environmental Protection, with another possibility: sabotage.

"Let me make this clear," said Avalon Mayor Martin L. Pagliughi. "This is believed to be a purposeful act."

The mayor said the case "is being treated as a criminal investigation. Avalon is aggressively and immediately pursuing answers."

Avalon's beaches were closed Saturday when about 150 items were discovered. They were reopened Sunday, only to be closed again the same day when more refuse was found. The beaches were reinspected Monday, found to be clean, and opened again. The beaches were closed again yesterday and crews swept the area from 14th to 22d streets after needles, cotton swabs and other debris were found, the Associated Press reported last night.

"We want to find out who's responsible for this act," Pagliughi said. "Authorities were fortunate to get some clues early in the investigation."

Some recovered items were marked with manufacturers' lot numbers, which are expected to help investigators trace the products, borough officials said.

"But this won't take them to a specific office or individual - like Dr. Jones' office in Atlantic City," said Avalon spokesman Scott Wahl, who saw some of the recovered waste. "It takes you to a more broad geographic area."

Investigators in the Attorney General's Office yesterday were working on determining the source of the waste, said Peter Aseltine, office spokesman. "We can't comment on the source right now. That's what we're investigating."

While the probe continued, other Jersey Shore communities yesterday were becoming suspicious.

"I think [Mayor Pagliughi] is probably right: Somebody came by and wanted to get rid of it [medical waste]," said Ocean City spokesman Mark Soifer. "They knew it was illegal. I can't imagine it was a mistake.

"I think it was done intentionally - and when they find them, I hope they stick it to them with a couple of their own needles. Throw the book at them!"

Soifer said, "Every Shore community feels for Avalon because someone might want to do it along their shore. Avalon is a great place with clean beaches."

Though sabotage is suspected by some, other possibilities exist.

"It could have fallen off a barge, but it would've had to be really close to the shoreline. Barges are usually five to seven miles out," said Stuart Farrell, a professor at Richard Stockton College in Pomona and founder of the college's Coastal Research Center in Port Republic.

If the debris fell from a barge five miles out, "it would have to remain in a container or bag until broken apart by the wave action on the beach" to spread over such a limited area.

Farrell said the waste also could have been deposited in the borough's storm drain system and carried out to the ocean. Or "someone could have taken a hike along the beach and gotten rid of the stuff in the middle of the night," he added.

Borough officials said yesterday that they were pleased that no injuries were reported and were hopeful that the clues would lead to the debris' source.

"Safety always comes first in everything we do," said Pagliughi, an engineer familiar with environmental issues. "We are carefully and continually monitoring the Avalon beaches during this unfortunate event and will do everything we can to keep the beaches safe, and open."