Dublin Corporation said last night it would "vigorously pursue" a medical waste processor which dumped surgical equipment at a bonfire site in south Dublin.
The company, named by garda∅ as Churchtown-based Eurosurgical Ltd, deposited scissors, gloves, surgical tubes and tweezers along with hospital files on waste ground near Herberton Bridge, Drimnagh, where residents were building a Hallowe'en bonfire.
Local children witnessed a man unloading the equipment, contained in large cardboard boxes, from a yellow van. Garda∅ were alerted and the scene was sealed off.
Dublin Corporation took a "very dim view" of the incident and would be taking legal action, a spokesman said.
City hall environmental officers will today inspect the material to ascertain if there are grounds for prosecution under waste management laws. There was no evidence biohazardous substances had been deposited.
Garda∅ said a Eurosurgical employee inadvertently dumped medical equipment along with hospital records, thinking the paperwork would provide fuel for the bonfire.
He believed he was doing locals "a favour", a Garda spokesman said.
The records, which the company insists were not confidential, include documentation from Waterford Regional Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin.
The incident follows the discovery of contaminated medical waste at an illegal Co Wicklow landfill.
Representatives of three Dublin hospitals were this week called before Wicklow County Council to answer claims that they were the source of the materials, including body fluid bags, bloody bandages, used swabs and syringes. The hospitals are investigating the allegations.
