Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community

Published on: May 31, 2019

Assessing a drop box programme: a spatial analysis of discarded needles.

Luc de Montigny¹, Anne Vernez Moudon, Barbara Leigh

¹McGill University, The Surveillance Lab, McGill Clinical and Health Informatics, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 1A3. luc.demontigny@mcgill.ca

The International Journal on Drug Policy

|September 5, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Discovery and Evaluation of Cadmium-Adapted Daphnia pulex Genotypes in a Region of Historical Mining Reveals Adaptation Protects the Germline From Cadmium-Induced Mutations.

Molecular ecology·2026

Same author

Applying the open-LUCIS framework to identify and characterize human-wildlife conflicts: A case study in Botswana.

PloS one·2026

Same author

Polyanionic Sugars Drastically Affect Assembly of Human Papilloma Virus Virus-Like Particles.

ACS infectious diseases·2025

Same author

Discovery and evaluation of cadmium-adapted <i>Daphnia pulex</i> genotypes in a region of historical mining reveals adaptation protects the germline from cadmium-induced mutations.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

A Modified Delphi Process to Develop Consensus Definitions of Time-Dependent Care by Paramedic Services Systems.

Prehospital and disaster medicine·2025

Same author

Geriatric oncology in the Instagram era: A pilot randomised controlled trial of adjunct PhotoVoice versus usual care to enable cancer supportive care.

Journal of geriatric oncology·2025

Installing drop boxes significantly reduced discarded needles among injection drug users by up to 98%. This public health intervention encourages safer disposal practices, decreasing risks to communities and users alike.

Area of Science:

Public Health
Epidemiology
Harm Reduction

Background:

Sterile injection equipment distribution is key to reducing blood-borne virus transmission.
Increased needle discarding poses risks to injection drug users and communities.
Drop boxes offer a promising solution for safe sharps disposal, but research is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the effectiveness of drop boxes in reducing discarded needles.
To assess the impact of drop boxes on injection drug users' disposal behaviors.
To provide empirical data to guide the implementation of sharps disposal programs.

Main Methods:

Quasi-Poisson regression analysis of discarded needle counts over five years in Montréal.
Comparison of discard levels before and after the installation of 12 drop boxes.

More Related Videos

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India

Published on: December 23, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community

Published on: May 31, 2019

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India

Published on: December 23, 2022

Assessment of discard reductions within 25m, 50m, 100m, and 200m of drop boxes, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

Drop boxes were associated with significant reductions in discarded needles, up to 98%.
Reductions were observed up to 200m from drop boxes and were inversely proportional to walking distance.
No consistent relationship was found between weather or needle exchange program use and discard counts.

Conclusions:

Injection drug users altered their needle disposal behavior in response to accessible drop boxes.
Drop boxes are a low-threshold, economical, and rapid intervention.
Drop boxes are a highly effective strategy for reducing discarded needles and improving public health.