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December 7, 2001

Blood Tests and Insulin Injections

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Question from North Richland Hills, Texas, USA:

I have come across a few unused needles that have moisture in them, and I throw those away! How can a person tell if a needle is contaminated?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

Contamination of new syringes is a remote occurrence. All syringes will have slight moisture in them because they contain a lubricant to make the barrel slide more smoothly. I would express any excess moisture and go ahead and use the syringes.

SS

[Editor’s comment: You could show a syringe that has this problem to the pharmacist. He/she can contact the manufacturer and see if there’s a problem with a particular production batch or lot.

WWQ]

[Editor’s comment: After polling several members of the D-Team, the consensus seems to be to return these syringes to your pharmacy or call the manufacturer for further advice.

SS]