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Updated: Aug 12, 2025

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents HPHC
Published on: May 10, 2016
Limited Health Risks in Performing Drug Reconstitution and Handling Tasks in Pharmacies-Results of an Occupational
Mirjam Crul1, Oscar Breukels, Shiwai Ng
1From the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (M.C.); Department of Hospital Pharmacy, Meander Medical Center, Amersfoort, the Netherlands (O.B.); Laboratory of the Dutch Pharmacists, Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association, the Hague, the Netherlands (S.N., O.S.); Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands (M.L.F., E.K.).
Objective:
Some drugs need processing before they can be administered or dispensed. We measured airborne exposure of pharmacy staff to small particles when performing these tasks.
Methods:
Reconstitution of powdered drugs in vials; crushing, splitting, and counting of tablets; and opening of capsules, using different ventilation strategies, were investigated in five pharmacies after in a worst-case approach. Airborne particulate matter was determined for a range of particles sizes.
Results:
Mean particle concentrations ranged from not detectable to 1.03 μg/m 3 (<1 μm) and 589.7 μg/m 3 (<10 μm). Dust exhaust made tasks safer. Most hazardous was pouring out tablets from a bulk supply, and least hazardous was reconstitution of a powder for injection.
Conclusions:
Occupational exposure during routine handling of drugs can occur, but the risks vary greatly with the nature and duration of the tasks.
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