Safer injecting
Use a new needle for every injection. You can get new ones at your local needle exchange program and even drop off your used ones. Needle exchanges will also set you up with everything you need—cookers, tourniquets, sterile water, swabs and filters. Many people don’t realize that sharing your equipment (cookers, filters, etc.) can also pass HIV or Hepatitis C.
It’s best to use your own equipment and needles every time, but we realize this isn’t always possible. If you need to reuse or share your equipment/needles, here are some tips to help reduce your chances of getting HIV and/or Hepatitis C.
To clean your needles
- Step 1: Draw cool, clean water up into the syringe and shake for 30 seconds. Squirt the water out. Repeat, using new water.
- Step 2: Repeat Step 1, but this time use fresh household bleach instead of water. Don’t forget to shake both times for 30 seconds (it takes at least this long for bleach to attack HIV).
- Step 3: Repeat Step 1 again, using new clean water from a different container or from the tap.
To clean your cookers
Clean your spoon/cooker with bleach by rinsing it with water and letting it soak for 30 seconds in straight bleach, then rinse and repeat the process. Rinse it with water once more before using it.
To clean your filters
In the absence of dental filters, pinch some cotton from a Q-Tip and throw it in your cooker or spoon. Use brand-name material, as the cheaper stuff is quite loose and can easily get stuck to the end of your needle and cause cotton fever. Do not use cigarette filters, as they may have fibreglass that gets attached to the end of your needle, causing all kinds of health problems. If you have nothing, add as much sterilized water as you can in your cooker, lift it to one side, and try to suck the upper layer of the solution into your syringe, leaving the visible particles in the bottom of your solution.
Water
If you don’t have sterilized water, boil tap water for 8-12 minutes before you use it. Boiling the water in your cooker for a few seconds does not do the job. Water needs to boil for at least 8 minutes to kill all microorganisms. Unfortunately, you can’t boil water in a cooker for more than a few seconds before it evaporates.
Ties
You can be quite creative to find a replacement for a tourniquet. You can use a belt, hang your backpack from your arm, use the straps of your handbag, or even place your arm between your crossed legs to apply pressure to the relevant vein. Whatever you use, if you can’t release the pressure within a fraction of a second, you should look for another option.
For local resources about safer injecting you can call:
Mainline Needle Exchange in Halifax (902) 423-9991
Northern Healthy Connections Society in Truro (902) 895-0931
Sharp Advice Needle Exchange in Cape Breton (902) 539-5556.
If you live in the HRM you can also reach out to Mobile Outreach Street Health http://moshhalifax.ca/.

For more information on safer injecting and taking care of your veins:
http://librarypdf.catie.ca/pdf/ATI-70000s/70095.pdf
Sharp Shooters: Harm Reduction Info for Safer Injection Drug Use
http://librarypdf.catie.ca/PDF/ATI-30000s/30059.pdf
The Hep C Handbook
http://librarypdf.catie.ca/pdf/ATI-70000s/70162.pdf
Choosing a safer injection site