EXPOSURE OF PHARMACY PERSONNEL TO MUTAGENIC ANTI-NEOPLASTIC DRUGS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 42  (11) , 4792-4796
Abstract
The Salmonella [typhimurium] reversion test was used to measure the mutagenic activities of urine concentrates from individuals preparing cancer chemotherapy agents [doxorubicin, dacarbazine, cyclophosphamide, cis-platinum, isophosphamide, 6-mercaptopurine, daunorubicin and mitomycin] for i.v. administration. Longitudinal studies were performed in which the total urine produced in 24-h periods was collected, starting on a Sunday at 1900 h after a duty-free weekend and extending over an 8-day period. There was no detectable increase in mutagenic activity in the urine concentrates of 3 pharmacy administrators who had no contact with these drugs. All 6 individuals admixing drugs in open-faced, horizontal laminar flow hoods displayed a 2-fold increase in mutagenesis by the 4th day, with peak values of 2.7- to 24-fold occurring on days 5 and 6, reduced values by day 7 and a return to the spontaneous level by day 8. When 4 of the 6 positive individuals in the preceding experiment admixed comparable amounts of chemotherapeutic drugs in a closed-face, vertical laminar flow hood, no increase in mutagenic activity was detected in their urine concentrates over the 8-day period.

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