The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) says it’s launched an investigation after the discovery of blood and human tissue at an east metro garbage hauling site.

“We would see the little vials that you see when you give blood at the clinic, and they take two to three test tubes of blood from you,” says Michael Reed, the division manager of recycling and energy at the Ramsey County Health Department. “Blood-soaked bandages that go beyond staining on the bandages.”

The Ramsey/Washington Recycling Center in Newport processes about 1,200 tons of waste a day.

But Reed says this past May, workers began seeing a troubling trend.

On multiple occasions, they also found surgical canisters containing bodily fluids, needles and syringes holding liquids — and human tissue.

“Very, very concerning,” Reed says. “[Our workers] are our most important asset. They’re concerned about it, and we can do something about it. Infectious disease is — by definition, anything that’s capable of transferring infection from animals or humans.”

He says the facility has been able to track down where some of the waste comes from — by interviewing garbage haulers and tracking specific routes.

He says that information has been turned over to the MPCA.

The agency released a statement Tuesday, which says in part:

“This is an ongoing investigation. The MPCA regulates infectious waste and proper disposal is essential for the protection of human health and the environment. Infectious waste must be handled properly due to its biological risk.”  

The agency has seven certified infectious waste storage and decontamination facilities across Minnesota.

Dr. Randy Rice, a family physician, and the former president of the Minnesota Medical Association, says medical waste poses health threats to workers who become exposed.

“Probably of most concern is the sharps. Most often, those scalpels or needles have broken glass or other things that have had contact with body fluids,” he explains. “Things like that could contain other infectious pathogens. Much of it might be safe, but you don’t know what it is, so you generally don’t want to come into contact with those fluids.”

Reed says the workers would typically find about 50 pounds of medical waste in a 10,000-pound load.

He says he hopes the discovery of that waste — and the current MPCA — will be a wakeup call for area health care providers.

“They need to double down on what they are generating in terms of infectious waste,” Reed notes. “Make sure they’re in compliance with the state’s infectious waste management rules, train their employees and also monitor what’s happening in their facilities to make sure it’s being managed properly.”