Another lost needle?
We on the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum concern ourselves, regularly, with the issue of needles lost in dangerous locations, discarded on the ground, into long grass or in sand, dropped into […]
needle
Hobart school kids share syringes to prick themselves
Three students at a Hobart primary school have been found pricking each other with a syringe they found outside a doctor’s surgery. The incident is the fourth in as many […]
Collecting used sharps from home users
Blenkharn Environmental have previously published the detail results of nationwide audits of clinical waste (including sharps) collections for domiciliary producers and of discarded drug litter by and on behalf of […]
Man put police at infection risk with needle
Echoing in some part this report from US, a Dundee IV drug user placed Police officers at risk of sharps injury and infection when he failed to disclose he had an uncapped needle […]
Needle attack on police chief
A McDonald, Pennsylvania, woman was arrested Wednesday afternoon after she allegedly pricked the police chief with a hypodermic needle. She is accused of sticking Police Chief Mark Dorsey as he took her […]
Steroid misuse increasing in Ireland
Addiction to steroid drugs in Ireland is increasing, though those who take them don’t identify themselves as drug users. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/steroid-drug-use-on-the-increase-in-ireland-study-of-drug-users-in-dublin-has-found-1.1409012 Profiling more than 300 drug users who used services at […]
Boy pierced by ‘syringe tip’ after playing with it at beach
A 12-year-old boy was pierced by a syringe tip at Cowell Beach, Santa Cruz, on Sunday afternoon after he and another boy were playing with it The boy’s father took […]
US man armed with hypodermic needle
A man robbed a 72-year-old Polk Street merchant of a soda last weekend and then threatened her with a hypodermic needle while claiming to be HIV positive, police said. The […]
Hepatitis C risk from discarded needles
Those who, despite our many warnings, dismiss the risk of Hepatitis C and other BBV infections from needles discarded by IV dug users (IVDUs) tend to ignore the statistics, of high […]
Are the days of the sharps bin numbered?
Safety sharps are being widely introduced in the UK, late, but better late than never. For establishments using fully automated safety needle and syringe devices that sheath or fully retract […]
Publically accessible sharps disposal bins
I have long-favoured the quite common, though not universal, US approach that places sharps bins in publicly accessible locations to permit drop-off of used sharps by diabetics and others. In the absence […]
Sharps injury legislation, Ireland
Ireland has not been backward at making the most of EU laws and subsidies though it has now found itself in deep financial peril as a consequence. But less advantageous though […]
Non-consensual testing after needlestick injury: A legal and ethical drama
Non-consensual testing after needlestick injury is an increasingly important issue for many healthcare workers, and also for police, prison officers and others who have suffered a sharps injury with a needle from […]
HIV infection after sharps injury
There has been an increasing tendency in recent years to downplay the risks of acquiring bloodborne virus infection. Statistics are quoted, showing that in general the risks of acquiring a bloodborne […]
An addict’s needle – just what are the risks?
An addict’s needle – just what are the risks? Actually, this is an almost impossible question since the risk depended on the type of needle – wide hollow-bore needles are […]
Sharps disposal training
For the very many home sharps users in the UK instruction in safe sharps disposal is limited or non-existent. Indeed, many users are provided with sharps and no method for […]