subject: Occupational Exposures to Hazardous Drugs has created disasters [print this page] Occupational exposures to hazardous drugs have increased many folds in the recent years. According to the latest reports, 11 million people are suffering from various health hazards caused due to exposures to these fatal drugs and by the year 2020, the figure may increase to 16 millions. Control of these exposures is highly mandatory to save the mankind.
Chemotherapy is an efficient anticancer technique that includes several harmful chemical agents. Sulphur mustard gas was the first agent that was known to cause changes in the bone marrow of the veterans of 1st world war when hospitalized after many years. This led to its discovery as an anticancer agent, and the related, but less toxic, nitrogen mustards were later demonstrated to produce tumor regression in the lymphoma patients.
Healthcare workers and oncology specialists are well known about the noxious effects of chemotherapy treatment. However, awareness of these effects results in better treatment plans for patients undergoing cancer therapy to prevent and minimize adverse consequences. But provisions for the occupational risks to healthcare workers handling these drugs in the course of their duties still needed to be fully addressed.
More than hundreds of different cytotoxic drugs and antineoplastic drugs are presently in use for the development of useful medicines and many more are under their development stage in pharmaceutical plants. Medicines used to treat deadly diseases like cancer have opened new avenues, from improving the quality of life of patients to a complete cure. From past few years, toxicity profile of these drugs has been regularly addressed by the pharmacists and the occupational health communities. Several campaigns dealing with safe handling of hazardous drugs are still going on. But the increased patient load, along with the use of high-dose chemotherapy, combinations of several drugs, and the use of antineoplastic drugs for diseases other than cancer, will increase the potential for exposure of the healthcare worker to these drugs.
Occupational Exposures to Hazardous Drugs has created disasters
