From: Ian blenkharn@ianblenkharn.com
Category: News & information
Date: 25 Aug 2008
Time: 10:21:51 +0200
Remote Name: 86.146.8.18
"With warm temperatures and the inclination to walk around with bare feet or open footwear such as flip-flops, Powell River's needle exchange program is urging people to keep a sharp eye on the ground.
"Sunny weather is here again and we want people to be vigilant when they are out with bare feet," said Rosemary Moran, public health nurse with the Powell River Community Health Centre. "Needles used by intravenous drug users are sometimes dropped or left in public places.
[more]
Discarded needles are a constant problem and almost every community will now experience this problem that was previously seen only in deprived inner city areas.
The risks are great. Needles lost in sand or in long grass, or in snow, are yet more dangerous as these cannot easily be seen and avoided, though who walks through snow with bare feet?
In the UK, Local Authority responses to clearing of discarded drug litter are, at best, a mixed bag. In some instances, the response is particularly poor, with inadequate response times, misleading and sometimes frankly dangerous advice to those finding needles, and inadequate or unsafe safety information concerning the action necessary in the event of sharps injury. At its very worst, one LA distinguishes itself by inviting those suffering sharps injury to 'write in for a free needlestick leaflet'!
My views on that are almost unpublishable, but I do believe that the author, and those responsible for the author's work, should be disciplined for incompetence.
A full audit of LA approaches to managing drug litter in the UK has recently been published. See the news and publication pages of the main website for further information and to request a reprint.