FDA Launches “Sharps” Web Site

Bethesda, MD—The FDA has launched a new Web site, Needles and Other Sharps, to help educate patients and caregivers on the safe disposal of “sharps” that are used at home. Sharps are medical devices that can puncture or cut skin, such as hypodermic needles, syringes, and lancets. With more conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and arthritis being managed at home, the number of sharps used outside of hospitals and doctors’ offices is increasing, with an estimated 3 billion used each year. Many sharps end up in household and public trash cans or flushed down toilets after being used, and this kind of improper disposal puts people at risk for needle stick injuries or infection with viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B/C.