Insulin pens that may have been reused at a VA hospital in New York have led Department of Veterans Affairs to warn local members of Congress that there is a “very small risk” that patients were exposed to HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, reported the Buffalo News.

A routine inspection led to the discovery that such pens may have been reused between Oct. 2010 and Nov. 2012, although the needles themselves were always changed.

ADVERTISEMENT

The VA is now contacting the 570 patients who may have been exposed and are still alive.

“What has happened can only be described as the grossest of irresponsible and dangerous behavior,” said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY).

[Image: Insulin Pen on Shutterstock]