Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs

May 21st, 2014 9:25 am ET - Thomas H. Connor, PhD

. In honor of these nurses and all who work with hazardous drugs (many of which are used in the treatment of cancer) we are posting this blog on how to safely prepare, administer or otherwise handle these drugs.

About 8 million U.S. healthcare workers are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs. Inhalation and skin contact or absorption are the most likely routes of exposure. However, unintentional ingestion from hand to mouth contact and unintentional injection through a needle-stick or sharps injury are also possible. Hazardous drugs can include those used for cancer therapy, some antiviral drugs, hormone agents, and bioengineered drugs. Workers at risk include:

pharmacy and nursing personnel
nurse practitioners
physicians and physicians’ assistances
operating room personnel
environmental services workers
workers in research laboratories
veterinary care workers
shipping and receiving personnel.

Current Research

Despite the prevention efforts to date, workplace contamination has been well documented by research on a small percentage of antineoplastic, or cancer-killing drugs. While the majority of drugs have not been studied, similar contamination would be expected. There is also evidence of worker exposure based on measurable amounts of the drugs in the urine of the healthcare workers studied. Finally, research shows a significant increase in biomarkers of exposure in healthcare workers when compared to unexposed workers.

Published studies have shown that workplace exposures to hazardous drugs can cause both acute and chronic health effects such as skin rashes, adverse reproductive outcomes (including infertility, spontaneous abortions, and congenital malformations), and possibly leukemia and other cancers. The health risk depends on how much exposure a worker has to these drugs and how toxic they are.

Reproductive health is one of the most vulnerable end points because many hazardous drugs used for cancer treatment target rapidly dividing cells in the same way teratogens target rapidly dividing embryonic cells. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that many chemotherapeutic drugs are teratogenic (can interfere with the development of a fetus), often in more than one animal species. Some classes of drugs are more hazardous than others and, as a group, antineoplastic drugs have been shown in animal studies to be some of the most potent teratogenic agents known, at doses typically used in cancer treatment.

To address these and other reproductive issues, NIOSH is developing a Guidance Document on Reproductive Health Issues in Healthcare Workers Exposed to Hazardous Drugs. The document is currently undergoing external review by experts in the field.

Prevention

A complete list of prevention recommendations can be found in the Alert on Hazardous Drugs including detailed recommendation for receiving, storage, preparation and administration of hazardous drugs. Exposure risks can be greatly reduced by (1) making sure that engineering controls such as a ventilated cabinet are used and (2) using proper procedures and protective equipment for handling hazardous drugs. However, while new advances in engineering controls and facility design help to protect workers who mix or compound hazardous drugs, there is not similar protection available for nursing personnel who administer these drugs to patients. Closed system drug transfer devices (CSTDs), which are a type of engineering control, can provide an additional level of protection for both pharmacy and nursing personnel. Additional protection is available by using the proper types of PPE and following strict work practices when administering the drugs. When I.V. lines are primed in the pharmacy or primed with a non-drug solution, the potential for exposure of nursing personnel to these drugs is reduced.

Update to the NIOSH Alert on Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs

Since the release of the NIOSH Alert on Hazardous Drugs in 2004, nearly 300 papers have been published on hazardous drugs and several new advancements such as CSTDs and robotic systems have come on the market. In addition, there are numerous new drugs that have been approved for cancer treatment. The Alert is in the process of being updated to address this new information. When finalized, the Alert will be available on the NIOSH Hazardous Drugs Topic Page.

Update to the NIOSH List of Hazardous Drugs

NIOSH has been updating its list of hazardous drugs every two years based on new FDA drug approvals and new warnings on existing drugs. The most recent update was in 2012. The list will be updated in the summer of 2014 and will have a new format. It will be divided into three groups. Group 1 will be Antineoplastic Drugs, those drugs identified by ASHP/AHFS as drugs used for the treatment of cancer. Group 2 will be Non-antineoplastic Drugs which are drugs that meet the NIOSH criteria for a hazardous drug and are used for diseases other than cancer. This group will include some drugs that have secondary reproductive toxicity. Group 3 will include those drugs that are primarily Reproductive Hazards. NIOSH will also provide guidance on personal protective equipment and engineering controls for various scenarios that may be encountered when handling hazardous drugs.

In addition to the NIOSH resources mentioned above, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP

) and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)

have published safe handling recommendations to protect healthcare workers from exposure to hazardous drugs since the 1980s. An important new development related to the safe handling of hazardous drugs is the new U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) Chapter, Hazardous Drugs-Handling in Healthcare Settings, which is currently out for public comment. Chapter <800> will supersede the hazardous drug section in USP Chapter <797>. Comments will be accepted until July 31, 2014 at http://www.usp.org/usp-nf/notices/compounding-notice

With Washington State and California already having legislation focused on the safe handling of hazardous drugs, other states are following close behind with their own legislation. As NIOSH and other organizations move forward on activities aimed at protecting workers from hazardous drugs, healthcare workers everywhere will benefit from safer working conditions in their endeavors to treat seriously ill patients with an ever-expanding armament of drugs.

Thomas H. Connor, PhD

Dr. Connor is a Research Biologist in the NIOSH Division of Applied Research and Technology.