Flemish company Terumo is under fire this week, as a Dutch news programme reveals that glue is leaking into substances contained in its hypodermic needles and that the company has been aware of the problem for years

Belgium’s Federal Agency for Medicine and Health Projects (FAGG) has opened an investigation into the injection needles produced by Leuven-based company Terumo after a Dutch TV station claimed that they contain harmful substances. The company sells more than 600 million hypodermic needles every year to hospitals and major pharmaceutical companies all over the world.

Traces of epoxy glue were found in two types of needles used to fasten the metal needle inside the plastic casing. The Dutch news programme Dossier EenVandaag reported that the glue doesn’t harden completely. The leaking glue can penetrate the reservoir that contains the medical fluid and, subsequently, invade the bloodstream of people who are jabbed with the needles.

Whether the substance is harmful to human health is not yet known. However, one of the compounds found in the glue is bisphenol A, which is already suspected of causing damage to reproductive organs, metabolism and the immune system.

In the Dutch programme, an anonymous whistleblower said that the Flemish company has known about the problem for four years and never informed authorities. Yesterday, Terumo declared that it had examined the issue in 2012. “The results showed that, although fluid glue particles might invade the body, the number of these particles is far below the existing standards,” said Terumo spokesperson Geert Lambrechts. “That’s why we didn’t inform the authorities.”

According to the FAGG, companies like Terumo are obliged to report every incident. “If we discover that Terumo has ignored this rule, criminal law penalties will follow,” the agency said in a statement.

photo: Hypodermic needles manufactured by Terumo