How is medical waste washing into a stream?

It's not too often a boy comes home complaining of numbness after accidentally injecting himself with a nerve agent antidote.

But that's exactly what happened this week when a group of kids played with medical waste in a rubbish-filled drainage stream off Waipahu Depot Road. A 12-year-old boy got a shot of atropine while fiddling with the device. Fortunately, no one was badly hurt or killed.

What we're wondering is, how did atropine get into the streambed in the first place? These devices are typically carried by soldiers as antidotes for chemical warfare. It can take as little as 10 milligrams of atropine to kill a child.

The Health Department is asking the public to keep an eye on the place, and to report any suspicious containers or suspected medical waste by calling 586-4249 or 911.

And the city, which is responsible for cleaning the stream, is also asking the community to report illegal dumping in that area. As it is, the city does twice-a-month cleanups, but is obviously unable to keep up with the trashing.

Shame on illegal dumpers who are putting children's lives in danger. And of course, it's in the interest of the community, particular those with children, to keep a lookout for harmful waste. At the same time, though, the city is going to have to keep a closer eye on dumping in the Waipahu drainage stream and figure out where this dangerous waste is coming from.