Strategies to Reduce the Risk-Adverse Reproductive Outcomes Related to Hazardous Drugs

Numerous drugs used to treat cancer and other conditions, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, are teratogenic and can cause fertility impairment and reproductive toxicity; therefore, they are considered hazardous. Researchers have found that health care workers (HCWs) who are exposed to hazardous drugs on the job are at increased risk for adverse reproductive outcomes, and breastfeeding infants can be exposed to hazardous drugs through breast milk. As more of these drugs are administered, and as their use expands beyond oncology settings to long-term care facilities and the home, increased awareness of the risks they pose to HCWs is needed. In this critical commentary, we review what is known about adverse reproductive outcomes of occupational exposure to hazardous drugs, describe sources of exposure, and suggest strategies to minimize exposure.