(continued):
Miscellaneous:
Disposal: if you put a needle in the rubbish, and someone spikes themselves with it (easy to do when carrying a rubbish bag), bear in mind that they will have no idea where it came from (i.e. could it have been contaminated with a virus)? Anyone using hypodermics (for any reason) has a Duty of Care to dispose of them appropriately. The original vendor should be helpful in this respect - some will give you a 'sharps box' which you can return to them for disposal (you'll want the very smallest one that they stock); it should be free. Failing that, IV drug users are advised, if they do throw a syringe into domestic waste, to at least put it inside e.g. a coke can etc.
Needlestick: The classic way to spike yourself is when recapping the needle. We are told never to do this; however, if you're reusing the same needle, you're likely to want the cap back on it! In that case, put the cap on the table, and guide the syringe & needle (with one hand) back into the cap. Don't touch the cap, and keep your other hand clear. Once the needle's inside, and you want to 'click' the cap all the way on, push at the base of the cap - needles that aren't aligned properly can pierce the cap, straight into your finger!
It doesn't hurt much; I guarantee that, if you recap with the cap in your hand, you will eventually spike yourself! If that happens, there are two considerations: 1) The needle is now potentially contaminated - dispose of it! We all assume that we're not carrying any nasty blood-borne viruses, but it costs next to nothing to throw the needle out; the risk to others might be extremely small, but it isn't worth taking! 2) Nicotine is an extremely toxic substance, and the liquid is not solely nicotine. The (applicable parts of) current advice to reduce the amount of substance inoculated by needlestick injury is: encourage bleeding; run the injured part under running water. Don't suck it! To further reduce needlestick, we're taught to always consider disposal before using the needle - i.e. if you have a sharps box, have it nearby so that you don't have to turn/walk around with a needle!
Sterility/re-use:
It has to be a Good Thing that the syringes/needles are clinically clean (probably sterile), even though the liquid is simply for smoking. However, I would imagine that many will re-use their syringes and/or needles. Bear in mind that they're not designed for re-use, and will eventually fail. More importantly, is is possible that remnants of liquid in the syringe/needle might harbour microorganisms (realistically, they will harbour microorganisms - the only question is whether they're of a sufficient number and type to pose a problem).
There are two ways of looking at this:
FYI:
I understand that 'drugs paraphernalia' are in themselves illegal in some States in the US - which would typically include needles and syringes. Maybe someone knowledgeable in such affairs would comment on this, although common-sense leads me to suspect that a demonstrable, legitimate reason for posession would at least offer some mitigation in a sticky situation!
Good idea about the veterinary syringes - the few I've seen had needles that were relatively blunt, although most of the syringes were a bit small....
Holding upside-down: as jpc815 said, this is primarily to keep air bubbles near the top (mainly for dosing reasons, unless working in paediatrics) - so it's not really applicable. Bear in mind that a lot of techniques you might see healthcare professionals use are because e.g. containers might be sealed (air pressure problems), or emptying an ampoule upside-down (if the syringe isn't long enough/you need to get every last drop out). Just use what works for you (whilst trying not to stab anyone) - it's not rocket science!
Sorry for the long post - just trying to give something back to such a helpful site!
Mojo
Miscellaneous:
Disposal: if you put a needle in the rubbish, and someone spikes themselves with it (easy to do when carrying a rubbish bag), bear in mind that they will have no idea where it came from (i.e. could it have been contaminated with a virus)? Anyone using hypodermics (for any reason) has a Duty of Care to dispose of them appropriately. The original vendor should be helpful in this respect - some will give you a 'sharps box' which you can return to them for disposal (you'll want the very smallest one that they stock); it should be free. Failing that, IV drug users are advised, if they do throw a syringe into domestic waste, to at least put it inside e.g. a coke can etc.
Needlestick: The classic way to spike yourself is when recapping the needle. We are told never to do this; however, if you're reusing the same needle, you're likely to want the cap back on it! In that case, put the cap on the table, and guide the syringe & needle (with one hand) back into the cap. Don't touch the cap, and keep your other hand clear. Once the needle's inside, and you want to 'click' the cap all the way on, push at the base of the cap - needles that aren't aligned properly can pierce the cap, straight into your finger!
It doesn't hurt much; I guarantee that, if you recap with the cap in your hand, you will eventually spike yourself! If that happens, there are two considerations: 1) The needle is now potentially contaminated - dispose of it! We all assume that we're not carrying any nasty blood-borne viruses, but it costs next to nothing to throw the needle out; the risk to others might be extremely small, but it isn't worth taking! 2) Nicotine is an extremely toxic substance, and the liquid is not solely nicotine. The (applicable parts of) current advice to reduce the amount of substance inoculated by needlestick injury is: encourage bleeding; run the injured part under running water. Don't suck it! To further reduce needlestick, we're taught to always consider disposal before using the needle - i.e. if you have a sharps box, have it nearby so that you don't have to turn/walk around with a needle!
Sterility/re-use:
It has to be a Good Thing that the syringes/needles are clinically clean (probably sterile), even though the liquid is simply for smoking. However, I would imagine that many will re-use their syringes and/or needles. Bear in mind that they're not designed for re-use, and will eventually fail. More importantly, is is possible that remnants of liquid in the syringe/needle might harbour microorganisms (realistically, they will harbour microorganisms - the only question is whether they're of a sufficient number and type to pose a problem).
There are two ways of looking at this:
- There is (extremely limited, privately-funded) research into whether the cartridge liquid contained micro-organisms. The inference is also that if the liquid contents were suitable for growth, then original contaminants might multiply in the liquid, thus posing a potential health risk. The only research that I have been able to find is a single instance of testing of one used, and one unused Ruyan cartridge for aerobic, anaerobic, and Legionella micro-organisms. As none were found, the author's conclusion was that 'there is no inherent tendency in the design of the Ruyan e-cigarette towards contamination from growth of organisms in the cartridge liquid'. (Ruyan Cartridge Report 21 Oct 2008 (section 4.2), available on-line via healthnz.co.nz/ecigarette).
- The liquid is often going into a bottle anyway! I have no experience with this (yet - my Wicked Liquid is on the way!), but it nevertheless seems sensible to minimise re-use of syringes and needles, especially where sticky substances are involved - they're nice & cheap - just be careful with needle disposal!
FYI:
I understand that 'drugs paraphernalia' are in themselves illegal in some States in the US - which would typically include needles and syringes. Maybe someone knowledgeable in such affairs would comment on this, although common-sense leads me to suspect that a demonstrable, legitimate reason for posession would at least offer some mitigation in a sticky situation!
Good idea about the veterinary syringes - the few I've seen had needles that were relatively blunt, although most of the syringes were a bit small....
Holding upside-down: as jpc815 said, this is primarily to keep air bubbles near the top (mainly for dosing reasons, unless working in paediatrics) - so it's not really applicable. Bear in mind that a lot of techniques you might see healthcare professionals use are because e.g. containers might be sealed (air pressure problems), or emptying an ampoule upside-down (if the syringe isn't long enough/you need to get every last drop out). Just use what works for you (whilst trying not to stab anyone) - it's not rocket science!
Sorry for the long post - just trying to give something back to such a helpful site!
Mojo
I'm glad I checked my email before closing down. I needed that. You'll fit in here nicely. Thanks K0rvet!
