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Effects of open-air temperature on air temperature inside biological safety cabinet
Masayuki Umemura1, Katsuro Shigeno, Keiko Yamamura
1Department of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan.
Insights
Biological safety cabinet (BSC) temperatures drop in winter due to outdoor air intake, affecting antineoplastic agent preparation. This impacts drug dissolution times and potentially delays patient chemotherapy, increasing waiting times.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Science
- Environmental Health & Safety
- Clinical Pharmacy
Background:
- Biological safety cabinets (BSCs) are crucial for handling antineoplastic agents in medical settings.
- A Class II B2 BSC at an outpatient chemotherapy division experienced temperature decreases in winter.
- This temperature drop was hypothesized to be caused by the intake of outdoor air.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of low outdoor air temperatures on BSC internal temperature.
- To determine the effect of reduced BSC temperature on the preparation of antineoplastic agent admixtures.
- To assess potential delays in chemotherapy administration for outpatients.
Main Methods:
- Conducted studies from January to March 2008, measuring outdoor and BSC temperatures.
- Analyzed the correlation between outdoor air temperature and BSC temperature (5-20°C).
- Investigated the dissolution times of cyclophosphamide (CPA) and gemcitabine (GEM), and the accuracy of epirubicin (EPI) solution weight measurements at varying BSC temperatures.
Main Results:
- BSC temperature showed a significant correlation with outdoor air temperature (p < 0.0001).
- Dissolution of CPA and GEM was significantly delayed at lower BSC temperatures compared to 25°C (p < 0.01 and p < 0.0001).
- Epirubicin solution weight measurements lacked accuracy at low temperatures due to high viscosity (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
- Winter outdoor air intake lowers BSC temperatures below room temperature.
- BSC temperature significantly affects the dissolution rates of antineoplastic agents.
- Reduced BSC temperatures may delay admixture preparation, potentially increasing outpatient waiting times for chemotherapy.
Objective:
In Japan, biological safety cabinets (BSCs) are normally used by medical staff while handling antineoplastic agents. We have also set up a class II B2 BSC at the Division of Chemotherapy for Outpatients. The air temperature inside this BSC, however, decreases in winter. We assumed that this decrease is caused by the intake of open-air. Therefore, we investigated the effects of low open-air temperature on the BSC temperature and the time of admixtures of antineoplastic agents.
Methods:
The studies were conducted from January 1 to March 31, 2008. The outdoor air temperature was measured in the shade near the intake nozzle of the BSC and was compared with the BSC temperature. The correlation between the outdoor air temperature and the BSC temperature, the dissolution time of cyclophosphamide (CPA) and gemcitabine (GEM), and accurate weight measurement of epirubicin (EPI) solution were investigated for low and normal BSC temperatures.
Result:
The BSC temperature was correlated with the open-air temperature for open-air temperatures of 5-20°C (p < 0.0001). The dissolution of CPA and GEM at these temperatures was significantly delayed as compared to that at 25°C (p < 0.01 and p < 0.0001, respectively). The weight measurement of EPI solution using a syringe method lacks accuracy because of its high coefficient of viscosity at low temperatures (p < 0.01).
Conclusion:
These results suggest that the BSC temperature decreases below room temperature in winter when air is drawn from outdoors. We showed that the BSC temperature affects the dissolution rate of antineoplastic agents. Further, we suggested that the BSC temperature drop might delay the affair of the admixtures of antineoplastic agents and increase the waiting time of outpatients for chemotherapy.
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