The Syringe Tide: Environmentalist Movement

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Hypodermics on the Shore (aka “the Syringe Tide”) started a metaphorical fire in America because it sparked an environmentalist movement. The Syringe Tide was an environmental disaster where medical waste washed up along the beaches of Jersey Shore, in New York City, and on Long Island. Before there were any major environmental catastrophes, environmentalists focused on the effective utilization of natural resources. Once events like the Syringe Tide started to occur, environmentalists started to realize the importance of having a beautiful, safe, and sanitary environment as well. It was a critical turning point to the general outlook on environmentalism.
In 1987 and 1988, syringes and other medical waste was found spanning across the coast

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