STERLING HEIGHTS, MI (WXYZ) — A Sterling Heights mom says her daughter and another child were poked by needles Monday while sorting through recycling for a school Earth Day project.
According to mom Carla Vasquez because of the unsterilized needle, her daughter now has to undergo blood testing every three months for the next year.
"We were told that we were going to sort bottle caps but there were other pieces in there and nobody told...the people never told us that," student Skylar Vasquez said.
Those other pieces Skylar is referring to are called lancets. Those with diabetes use them to draw blood to test their glucose levels. The school district says students were sorting through recycled bottle caps but ssomehow lancets were also mixed in.
Carla Vasquez is not happy and wants to know why no safety measures were in place.
"I didn't receive a permission slip for this. I wasn't aware this was happening today. I said, 'Were there any safety precautions?,'" Carla said.
Superintendent Robert Livernois sent a letter to parents saying an investigation revealed that someone likely had donated several of these lancet caps by mistake.
"I firsthand know why needles end up in the garbage. I am in longtime recovery myself. I have a blood disorder myself, and I am willing to admit that openly. I am not ashamed of that," Carla said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 99.7% of needle or cut exposures do not result in infection. Vasquez however, was told the needle was sent out for testing and plans on pulling her daughter out of school,
"I will pull her from the school. She will not go back to that school next year," Carla said.
Skylar was immediately assessed by the school nurse when she was pricked and all sorting was stopped, the district says. They add that they have also offered to help pay for the student's medical expenses.
The recycling program has ended for now.
