A MUST READ! Re: Chemo IV's

[Guest guest]

Dear Mark, , Louise and EVERYONE,

There is GOOD reason for this information being started " back in the

day:

ASHP 2000 To Err is Human included a BIG news splash about this topic

Then came:

NIOSH 2004 Alert!

Then came USP 797 enforcements with updates nearly every year,

INCLUDING NOW December 2007.

If you have NEVER been informed as I have or have not have taken IV

certification courses like the one I took via Baxter, you NEED to

READ this EMAIL/POST in it's entirety and use the links!

I have answered the last two posts (only weeks apart) regarding

hazards of working with Chemos by giving direction to the poster to

find their own information to support my opinions and answers,

because I just could not find the information I was looking for to

support my claims that one MUST take precautions when working with

chemos especially when pregnant. About 2 months or 3 months ago I

recommended the Phaseal. It wasNOT my first time. I began

recommending it RIGHT after the 2000 ASHP convention (Pharmacy Island

archives).

So tonight again, I searched the net which is a wonderful thing

because it is updated daily. So here it is: (sorry Mark and others

who believe they are protected by the hood, not 100% make sure you

watch the video!)

For me in California it has been a " GIVEN " , since I became a tech in

1989 (school since 1985) that one must double glove, gown, safety

shield or glasses and mask, use a vertcle hood, watch spills, keep

spill kits on hand etc.

What bothered me was at the 2000 ASHP convention announcement MANY

pharmacists poo poohed this idea of importance to CHANGE. Let me see:

we put up the vertical hood, we place our arms in it with air flow

coming at us, with MIST from the spray from the needle and syringe

joint blown out at us and we don't think we are exposed! Give me a

break! We take off our disposable gowns only to work in the very

environment to breath the air that escaped from the hood

contaminating our clothing; which we bring home to wash with our

family clothing, but we are not worried. By the way did you ever hear

stories from the air conditioning repair guys or the heating and

insulations guys? or the maintenence crew that has to see and replace

the corrosion above the hoods in a hosital pharmacy ? I have! (vERY

different than other parts of the hospital and replaced more often).

AS a CHEMIST I never understood WHY we allowed that air into the

pharm lab, but then again the answer of a self-contained hood meant

cumbersome glove spaceman like attachments. So I followed suit and

said nothing. Thank God for those who don't follow suit! Like the

researcher in Texas!

7 years since the December Las Vegas Convention and STILL we have

pharmacists arguing the fact that this IS necessary! Some RPh against

this necessary change claim that a closed system device is too

expensive to add to the patients charge!

READ ON!

Dept of Health and Human Services

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

NIOSH Alert 2004 Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings Preventing

Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastics…

I used document search methods: Contol F and found the following

words on the following pages:

Page 11 pregnant workers

Page 27 birth defects

Page 1 of the Alert (physically page 6 numbered page 1)

" Working with or near hazardous drugs in health care settings

may cause skin rashes, infertility, miscarriage, birth defects,

and possibly leukemia or other cancers. "

Page 34:

" Where to Find Information

Related to Drug Toxicity

Practice-specific lists of hazardous drugs

(usually developed by pharmacy or nursing

departments) should be comprehensive, including

all hazardous medications routinely

used or very likely to be used by a local practice.

Some of the resources that employers

can use to evaluate the hazard potential of

a drug include, but are not limited to, the

following:

1. MSDSs

2. Product labeling approved by the U.S.

3. FDA (package inserts)

4. Special health warnings from drug manufacturers,

5. FDA, and other professional

groups and organizations

6. Reports and case studies published in

medical and other health care profession

journals

7. Evidence-based recommendations from

other facilities that meet the criteria defining

hazardous drugs

Pages 35 – 40 contain LISTS of hazardous drugs.

I highly recommend that those inclined, concerned or workers with

chemo VIST the following site:

http://www.cdc.gov/search.do?

q=still+births+and+abortions+working+with+chemotherapy & btnG.x=0 & btnG.y

=0 & sort=date%3AD%3AL%

3Ad1 & subset=niosh & ud=1 & oe=utf8 & ie=utf8 & site=niosh

Here are my key search words:

stillbirths and abortions working with chemotherapy

If that does not work go to www.niosh.com and use the key words.

By going to the site you will find:

Medical Surveillance for Health Care Workers Exposed to Hazardous

Drugs

April 2007

Many hazardous drugs are used to treat illnesses such as cancer or

HIV infection (see Figure 1). For the patients, the potential

benefits of hazardous drugs outweigh the possible negative side

effects. However, exposed health care workers risk the same side

effects with no positive benefit. Workers exposed to hazardous drugs

have developed skin rashes, adverse reproductive effects, and

possibly leukemia and other cancers. For example, nurses and

pharmacists who were exposed to hazardous drugs at their worksite

reported an increase in adverse reproductive events including

spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and congenital malformations

compared with unexposed health care workers [NIOSH 2004].

1. ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) [2006].

ASHP guidelines on handling hazardous drugs. Am J Health-Syst Pharm

63:1172–1193.

2. NIOSH [2004]. NIOSH alert: preventing occupational exposures

to antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs in health care settings.

Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public

Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH)

Publication No. 2004–165.

3. OSHA [1999]. Controlling occupational exposure to hazardous

drugs. In: OSHA Technical Manual (TED 01–00–015: TED 1–0.15A),

Section VI, Chapter 2.

[www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_vi/otm_vi_2.html]. Washington, DC:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Date accessed:

September 26, 2005.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2007-117/

Okay this should do it! It should WAKE some of you up if you have not

been attending conventions, IF you have not been updating your

knowlege on USP 797 if you don't pay attention to work bulletines or

if you refuse to garb up!

Sorry to burst anyones bubbles.

By the way I will post something else regarding education on this

topic.

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Pharm Tech Educator

Founder/Owner of this site

> > >

> > > In a message dated 1/18/2008 11:33:03 A.M. Central

> > > Standard Time,

> > > blossoms2u@ writes:

> > >

> > > Is it true that techs who make Chemo IV's after

> > > awhile of doing the job

> > > become sterile?

> > > And techs that still want children shouldn't be

> > > making them period?

> > > Has anyone else heard of this?

> > > Louise

> > >

> > > As a chemo tech I have not heard it and my daughter

> > > wants a little sister or

> > > brother so I hope that it's not true. It is all

> > > about the protection you use.

> > > Making chemo that is not making the ... nevermind.

> > >

> > >

> > > Wohlers CPhT Texas

> > > For all your pharmacy gift giving needs check out

> > > www.thepharmacygiftshop.com

> > >

> > >