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Improperly Discarded 'Sharps' Can Be Dangerous Disposal of needles and syringes can be damgerous

Many people use needles, syringes and lancets-called "sharps"-to manage their medical conditions at home.  These conditions include diabetes, allergies, infertility, arthritis, hepatitis, HIV, blood clotting disorders, migraines and cancer. Sharps are also used to give medication to pets and farm animals.

But the haphazard disposal of these devices is putting a lot of other people, including waste-disposal workers, housekeepers, family members and children, at risk of injury and serious infections.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has created a new web section with information about the safe disposal of needles and other sharps here