Ask Alison: Why are hypodermic needles washing up on Narragansett Bay?

(WJAR) — An NBC 10 viewer reached out to Ask Alison about hypodermic needles washing up on Narragansett Bay.

Mike R emailed: “Alison. I’m finding more and more hypodermic needles washed up on shore. What is the source of these, and how/why are they ending up in the Bay?”

I reached out to Mike R. for photos and he provided some from the past few days. I then reached out to Save the Bay about the occurrences.

Save the Bay said the organization finds hypodermic needles all the time when their staff and volunteers do clean up events.

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According to Save the Bay, the needles end up on the shoreline in a couple of ways.

First, they are dropped on beaches or in parking lots by users.

Second, because they're so light, stormwater moves them off the streets and parking lots down rivers and streams before they washup on shore.

The solution? Proper disposal.

That’s it.

For more on Save the Bay’s cleanup efforts, click here.

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