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Exposed points are really dangerous. So are broken-off points. They are hard to see and can easily get lost in clothes, carpets, couches, wherever.

To keep everybody safer, here are some suggestions:

• Recap your rig after you use it. Please DO NOT break off the point to exchange your rig.
• When you exchange, make sure you turn in all the parts - barrel, plunger and points. Each part can carry HIV, Hepatitis, and other germs.
• If you exchange for other people, ask them to recap their own rigs.
• Tape or rubber-band used rigs in bundles of 5 or 10.
• Carry used rigs in a hard container. A box made of metal is best, like a cookie tin. Metal is safer than using paper or plastic bags. If you can't find something metal, try a hard plastic jar. One with a wide mouth, like a peanut butter jar, will let you get them out easily.

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES:

• HIV can live a long time in a used rig. Hepatitis B and Hep C can live even longer - for weeks or months. Needle sticks can transmit hepatitis more easily than HIV.
• It is always a good idea to wash your hands after handling dirty rigs.
• The Needle Exchange DOES NOT recycle your used syringes! Every syringe we give out is brand new. ALL the used syringes you turn in are burned.
• If you notice rigs with exposed points, don't try to break them off - just pick them up very carefully (with tweezers, a roach clip, or tape) to avoid getting stuck.

Also: If the point does get broken off, pull the plunger out of the barrel, carefully pick up the point, put it in the barrel, then replace the plunger.