Medical sharps such as needles, syringes, and lancets are used by millions of Americans every day to manage medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, migraines and others. Proper disposal of medical sharps helps prevent accidental needle sticks, and possible disease transmission.
FDA cleared sharps containers can be acquired at the pharmacy, medical supply company, or through one of several mail back services such as:
Every state has different rules when it comes to medical sharps disposal, so check with your local Department of Environmental Quality, or any of the national health organizations such as OSHA, the CDC, or the FDA. To see the rules for Arizona, visit the AZDEQ website here.
Bleach is a powerful cleaner which is good for laundry and some household disinfection, but it’s not suitable for biohazards. It is corrosive, which means it can damage surfaces, and it is reactive, which means it can combine with other cleaning agents to cause corrosive gases. Professional biohazard cleanup services use specialized cleaning agents and processes designed to safely and completely eradicate biohazard contamination.
Dos and Don’ts of Medical Sharps Disposal
If you find yourself tasked with a cleanup of numerous medical sharps of unknown origin or from illicit drug use, we suggest calling a biohazard remediation company such as BioteamAZ to help you remove them and disinfect the area.
Here is a list of Dos and Don’ts to help you safely manage sharps disposal:
Our sanitation workers do so much to keep our city clean and healthy. Safe sharps disposal helps keep them safe too!
