The man was preparing to play volleyball on the beach near the jetty for the local fishing boats yesterday (Feb 19) when he stepped on something hard, which he at first thought was a hard shell. However, on checking it was confirmed that he stepped on an old syringe.
“He was shocked and scared. Because this thing is an old syringe which was old and the cover is actually broken,” The Phuket News was told.
The man was quickly taken to a nearby clinic, where he was given a tetanus shot.
The doctor inspected the syringe and said that though it was old, the man still needed to go and check his blood for hepatitis B and C in next two months.
“I have never heard of this kind of incident before. I really don’t know how this old syringe came to be in the sand at the beach,” Cherng Talay Police Chief Col Peerachart told The Phuket News yesterday.
Asked whether he believed the syringe was discarded by a drug user, Col Peerachart said, “I have no idea. I will tell my colleagues to check it out at Layan Beach.”
Meanwhile, Col Peerachart urged all beachgoers to be aware of dangerous items in the sand.
“Please be careful of sharp things which may be buried in the sand. It could be broken glass or something else from the trash – even though everyone already knows to not leave any trash on the beach.
“If you find an old syringe, please inform Cherng Talay Police Station immediately by calling the 191 hotline. I want to know how it came to be on the beach.
“And if you are cut anything sharp, hurry to see a doctor and get a tetanus shot,” he added.