Surface Contamination with, and Management of, Antineoplastic Drugs in a Hospital

Details

• Personal Author:
  Akbar-Khanzadeh F ; Fink B ; Milz S ; Rillo R
• Description:
  Situation/problem: Antineoplastic drugs are chemical agents used in the treatment of malignant neoplasms (cancers) and occasionally non-neoplastic forms of disease. Occupational exposures to these drugs can cause undesired health outcomes, such as malignancies, as well as mutagenic and teratogenic effects. Resolution: This study, performed in a hospital, was initiated to evaluate the potential occupational exposure to these drugs by: (1) collecting wipe samples and determining surface contamination with antineoplastic drugs (cyclosphophamide, Taxol and 5- fluorouracil) on: an oncology pharmacy counter, a pharmacy floor and hood, the top of a medical cart used to carry drugs, a nursing station counter, bathroom floors, toilets, a patient infusion chair, bed rail, bed table, call button, and room floor; and, (2) surveying policy/practices and the compliance with recommended guidelines in all stages of the antineoplastic drug life cycle. The locations surveyed included shipping and receiving (package handling), drug preparation, drug administration, environmental services (housekeeping) and waste disposal. Results: Wipe sampling outcomes indicated surface contamination with drugs (cyclophosphamide, taxol) on pharmacy floors, infusion chairs, bathroom floors, and the exterior surfaces of antineoplastic drugs waste containers. The compliance assessment indicated lack of sound practices during drug preparation and administration. Lessons learned: The results of this study suggest that this institution has to improve its antineoplastic drug handling practices in order to have a functional exposure prevention program. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Pollution Hazardous Substances Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Antineoplastic Agents Chemical Hazards Environmental Contamination Exposure Assessment Health Care Facilities Medicinal Chemicals Occupational Exposure
• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  36
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054462
• Citation:
  AIHce 2010: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 22-27, 2010, Denver, Colorado. Falls Church, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2010 May; :36
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Ohio
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  AIHce 2010: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 22-27, 2010, Denver, Colorado
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:83e4b656c94d18ffae7268722d78a88c0644f37472d547781c5eda637a778eb26c4f2f16d5ba7a9b22281ab3add9b0d9918ed9324893d5dea706ce4ecb9170a4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217022/cdc_217022_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 330.31 KB ]