SURGE IN NEEDLE-WOUND INCIDENTS RAISES ALARM

A construction worker handling a bird's nest, a plumber repairing a clogged
toilet, a ski patroller rescuing an unconscious skier and a man cleaning
out a rental car -- all are B.C. workers who've been poked by potentially
contaminated used needles in the past year.

Injection drug use is an activity to which 15,000 British Columbians are
addicted, and the fears of contracting the diseases they may carry meant
that St. Paul's Hospital distributed antidote drugs to 624 B.C. residents
who were accidentally jabbed by used needles in the last fiscal year.

The Workers' Compensation Board accepted 211 claims costing $235,412 last
year from workers accidentally jabbed by used needles, a staggering
increase over the 1996 figure (66), 1995 (18) and 1995 (13).

"While part of the increase in claims may be due to the increase in
awareness and reporting, there are undoubtedly more needles to be found and
they're being found in some very surprising places," said Pat Wolczuk,
acting vice-president of prevention at WCB.

While most claims come from those whose work exposes them to needles --
police officers, emergency crews and health-care workers -- it seems that
no one in B.C. can be considered immune anymore.

Unsuspecting workers and others are finding needles in the most unexpected
places.

There has only been one case of a worker contracting HIV from a needle
wound injury in B.C. but the potential is always there and that's why
medical personnel who frequently work with blood and other body fluids have
for years treated every used needle as if it's infectious with bloodborne
pathogens such as HIV, hepatitis B and C.

That universal precaution is being conveyed to employees across B.C. by the
WCB, which is working with companies to develop precaution programs.

Ledcor Industries, a construction company, is one of those companies which
welcomes the risk-prevention training.

"Workers were finding needles in excavations, in the garbage, under
construction trailers, in the sand ... even in a bird's nest on top of a
building," said Dwight Brissette, manager of safety at Ledcor Industries.
"It's part of doing construction in the city now."

The construction worker who got poked by a needle a bird carried into its
nest at the construction site went on an anti-retroviral drug cocktail
regimen, as did the plumber who stuck his hand down a drain in a rooming
house and got jabbed by a discarded needle.

So did the ski patroller who reached into the knapsack of the skier he
rescued and got stuck by a used needle. And the car rental agency worker
who got poked while reaching in to clean the pocket behind the driver's seat.

The B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS at St. Paul's Hospital
distributes the anti-retroviral drug cocktails to workers and others
accidentally poked by used needles. AIDS experts believe that taking these
drugs for a month after an exposure incident can reduce the risk of
contracting the virus, which causes AIDS, by about 80 per cent.

An unknown number of people poked by discarded needles also received
immunization against hepatitis B. But there is no protection against
hepatitis C, and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control doesn't track the
number of people pierced by needles who contract hepatitis B or C .

Needles are being discarded everywhere -- beaches, flower beds, parks and
washrooms, not to mention streets, sewers and alleys. It is not a stretch
to declare there may not be a safe haven from used needles.

"There are definitely needles around and clearly it's a concern," said Dr.
David Patrick, an associate director of AIDS control at the B.C. Centre for
Disease Control.

"We've got to do everything we can to limit exposure to diseases and what
we're doing may just be working because we're not turning up a lot of [HIV]
infections stemming from needlestick injuries."

The WCB launched an education campaign this week to raise awareness about
needle hazards and how to prevent them.

The WCB will distribute 35,000 copies of a booklet to B.C. employers and
workers.

It advises them to:

- - Ensure they have puncture-resistant containers on their premises to
ensure the safe disposal of used needles

- -Provide the right tools and equipment such as gloves, tongs or pliers to
pick up needles

- - Look before reaching and don't use hands to feel or reach into any area
in which the contents can't be seen.

- -Empty the contents of purses, packs and other containers by turning them
upside down on a surface.

- -Report to hospital for medical attention immediately after a needle-stick.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan