Wilson Asks Pentagon for Ocean Waste Probe

Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) on Friday requested that the Pentagon investigate the suspected dumping by the Navy of antiseptic vials and other wastes that have washed up on Southern California shores.

In a letter to Navy Secretary William L. Ball III, Wilson expressed “concern about persistent reports of medical waste from naval stockpiles washing up along the Southern California coastline.” Wilson asked Ball to direct his “immediate attention” to an investigation of the flotsam that littered beaches this week in Orange and San Diego counties.

“I know that you share a commitment to ensuring a clean and safe environment,” Wilson said in the letter. “For this reason, I request your immediate attention to this problem and ask that you provide me with a report on the details of the Navy’s joint investigation with state and local officials as soon as possible.

“I am most interested in knowing if, indeed, Navy sources are responsible for this dumping; what disciplinary or legal action will be taken against those who may have violated the law or federal or Navy regulations; what specific environmental impact may have occurred as a result of these incidents and, finally, what specific corrective action may be required.”

Navy officials in San Diego said earlier this week that a special military team is looking into the medical debris that washed up in San Diego County and the chemical vials that floated ashore in Orange County. A Navy spokesman in San Diego has said there is no proof the medical waste found in San Diego originated with the military or came from a Navy ship. The spokesman, Navy Chief Craig Huebler, said the chemical vials that washed up in Orange County probably were military issue.

Wilson’s intervention drew praise Friday from John J. Hills, program manager for Orange County’s Environmental Health Waste Management Section. Hills has been in charge of the county’s investigation of the chemical vials.

“It is always gratifying to get support like this,” Hills said after learning that Wilson had called for a Pentagon investigation. “I think this will help speed up the investigation and lead to steps so that something like this won’t happen again.”

About 70 vials were found on beaches in Orange County on Monday and Tuesday. Their strange shape initially caused fear that they might be explosive devices, but county health officials on Tuesday determined that the vials contained antiseptics used by the military for protection in chemical-biological warfare.

In San Diego County, the debris found on beaches was chiefly medical waste, including a vial of blood and syringes. Huebler said Tuesday, “Those items could have come from anywhere; they are generic medical products.”

However, on Wednesday, Huebler acknowledged that one piece of debris--an empty can of oxalic acid--found in San Diego County was from the battleship Missouri. Huebler said, however, that there is no proof that the empty can was dumped at sea by the ship.