Which item qualifies as a sharps example due to contact with infectious agents?

Which item qualifies as a sharps example due to contact with infectious agents?

• A. Broken or unbroken glassware that was in contact with infectious agents (used slides, cover slips).
• B. Paper tissues used to wipe surfaces.
• C. Cotton swabs that never touched any fluid.
• D. Empty reagent bottles.

Answer: (A)

Sharps are items that have a sharp edge or point capable of piercing the skin and can transmit infection if contaminated. Broken or unbroken glassware that has been in contact with infectious agents fits this, because the glass can easily cut or puncture skin while still potentially carrying infectious material from slides or cover slips. That combination of a sharp surface and contamination is why it’s treated as sharps and disposed of in a sharps container. The other items don’t pose a sharp-related risk: paper tissues and cotton swabs that haven’t touched fluids don’t have a sharp edge to pierce skin, and empty reagent bottles have no sharp edge and aren’t capable of causing a puncture.

Sharps are items that have a sharp edge or point capable of piercing the skin and can transmit infection if contaminated. Broken or unbroken glassware that has been in contact with infectious agents fits this, because the glass can easily cut or puncture skin while still potentially carrying infectious material from slides or cover slips. That combination of a sharp surface and contamination is why it’s treated as sharps and disposed of in a sharps container.

The other items don’t pose a sharp-related risk: paper tissues and cotton swabs that haven’t touched fluids don’t have a sharp edge to pierce skin, and empty reagent bottles have no sharp edge and aren’t capable of causing a puncture.