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NIOSH investigates antineoplastic agents
Health care workers exposed to antineoplastic agents are at risk for adverse effects that include miscarriage and leukemia. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is launching a study to determine how much exposure occurs and what work practices and other conditions impact exposure.
NIOSH also will look for "biomarkers," or evidence of early biological effects from chronic, low-level exposure to antineoplastics, according to the agency’s July 25 Federal Register notice. NIOSH will conduct environmental sampling of the workplace and will track blood and urine samples of participants and the menstrual cycles of female workers. (Go to www.cdc.gov/niosh/02-18781.html.)
The project will recruit oncology nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians and will be conducted in collaboration with the University of Maryland, the University of North Carolina, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
"Using the results of the proposed study, exposures can be minimized or eliminated before adverse health effects occur. Ultimately, the study will contribute to the prevention of occupational disease from antineoplastic drug exposure," the agency reported in the notice.
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