In the past few years, public concern over the disposal of medical waste has markedly increased. The rising concerns over medical waste disposal were stimulated by reports of such waste washing up on the beaches along the east coast from Maine to Florida, the west coast, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf coast. This resulted in a number of beach closings and a loss in revenues to the tourist industries in these areas. While there also have been rare and isolated instances of public exposure, such as the report in 1987 of children in Indianapolis, Indiana, who were found playing with needles and vials discarded by a doctor's office, the literature shows no instances of public illness caused by such exposures.