As most IDUs will share from time to time it is important that the risk associated with injecting can be reduced by providing correct advice on injecting techniques and cleaning used injecting equipment.
There is no certain method of cleaning needles, syringes and drug paraphernalia that will guarantee no risk.
In situations where there is no provision for getting clean injecting equipment from a needle exchange, bleaching is better than doing nothing. Bleach tablets are available in prisons and some other settings. Thin, undiluted household bleach can also be used.
Advice from the Department of Health
The following advice is from the Department of Health’s recommendation on cleaning needles and syringes.
Utensils needed:
- needle and syringe
- thin, undiluted household bleach
- clean, cold water
- two clean cups or wide topped bottles.
Method
- Pour bleach into one cup or bottle and water into another. If using a disinfecting/bleach tablet e.g. in a prison setting, dissolve it to make up a solution according to the instructions.
- Draw up bleach into dirty needle and syringe.
- Expel bleach away down the sink (not back into the cup or bottle).
- Repeat steps 2 and 3.
- To remove the bleach, draw up cold water into the needle and syringe.
- Expel water down the sink.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 two or three times.
Important points
- The above cleaning advice does not guarantee protection.
- Bleaching previously used equipment should only be a last resort option.
- Clean equipment both before and after use.
- Boiling plastic syringes melts them.
- Cold water is recommended as warm water may encourage blood to coagulate and hence will be harder to expel through the needle.
- Thick bleach is impossible to draw up though a needle.
- Diluted and old bleach can lose its effectiveness.
- Using new/clean injecting equipment (from a needle exchange) is the safest option.
Disposal of injecting equipment
Carefully disposing of injection paraphernalia is important. There is a danger of other people becoming infected if it is thrown away with household rubbish.
In the absence of a proper sharps disposal bin, it is best to put the needle and syringe in a sealed container such as a coffee jar. This should then be put into a carrier bag before being thrown away.
Sharps disposal bins are obtainable from needle exchanges or from chemist shops.
This symbol (left) is often used by drug agencies and chemist shops to signify a needle exchange service.