[Pathological effects due to antineoplastic drugs in workers engaged in their production, preparation or...

This article reviews the adverse effects of exposure to antineoplastic drugs in workers producing or administering them. Many antineoplastic drugs are carcinogenic or mutagenic to humans and exposure and absorption have been shown to occur during production in pharmaceutical industries or during the preparation and administration in veterinary and health practice. At present few studies have been made on the increased risk of cancer for workers handling these chemicals. However, available data suggest an increased risk of cancer due to exposure to antineoplastic drugs and increased risk of spontaneous abortions and offspring malformations among women workers. This poses a major problem since the majority of health care workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs are women. Therefore, because of these reported effects, it is of the utmost importance to avoid any contact with, and any absorption of these chemicals by using adequate protective equipment during their preparation and administration and by organizing preventive educational programs for the workers.