House Western Commission opens probe after biomedical waste found at mouth of Río Grande de Añasco

Representative Odalis González González, president of the House of Representatives' Western Region Commission, opened a public hearing March 31, 2025, to investigate recurring findings of biomedical waste at the mouth of the Río Grande de Af1asco and to press responsible agencies and contractors for answers.

The commission said it will use its investigatory powers under the constitution and the political code to summon the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Environmental Quality Board, and it set a short timetable for documents and follow-up inspections. Elisa Muf1oz Lf3pez, legislative affairs advisor to the Puerto Rico Department of Health, told the commission the department supports an investigation but does not have jurisdiction over the generation, transport or final disposal of regulated biomedical waste.

The resolution the commission cited, Cámara 168, orders an urgent investigation into the repeated discovery of biomedical waste at the mouth of the Río Grande de Af1asco, directs oversight of generators and handlers of those wastes, asks for an evaluation of existing laws and regulations, and calls for referral of findings and possible civil or criminal responsibility to the appropriate agencies. Representative González read that resolution into the record at the start of the hearing.

Muf1oz said the Department of Health's Division of Environmental Health is responsible for…