Anesthesia hazards to animal workers

Anesthetic agents are used extensively in veterinary medicine to facilitate safe restraint of animals and to provide humane conditions for diagnostic procedures and surgery. Animal workers in traditional veterinary practice, as well as those in research institutions, may become chronically exposed to trace levels of waste inhalant anesthetic agents during the daily performance of their duties. Individuals in private or institutional practice, municipal animal control officers, wildlife biologists, and zoological park employees are at risk for accidental exposure to potentially lethal quantities of injectable anesthetic agents during chemical restraint of domestic animals and capture of free-ranging animals. The purpose of this chapter is to review the health risks of anesthetic agents to animal workers and to provide specific recommendations for reducing worker exposure to these agents.