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Occupational Exposure to Antineoplastic Drugs

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Occupational Safety and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 April 2023) | Viewed by 8901

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: occupational medicine; public health; nanosafety; active aging; occupational toxicology; industrial health; biological monitoring; occupational risk assessment; occupational diseases; occupational carcinogens
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Guest Editor
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC 20201, USA
Interests: hazardous drugs; occupational drug exposures; chemical exposures; risk assessment; occupational toxicology; hazard identification

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Guest Editor
Exposure Control Sweden, Bohus-Björkö, Sweden
Interests: monitoring exposure of workers to antibiotics and hazardous drugs in hospitals and in the pharmaceutical industry

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Guest Editor
Environmental Research Center, ICS MAUGERI SPA SB, Institute of Pavia, IRCCS, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: chromatography; mass spectrometry; analytical chemistry (UHPLC-MS/MS); occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs (ADs); drug delivery systems (DDSs); micro-nanoparticles

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Guest Editor
Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
Interests: occupational hygiene; biological monitoring; occupational exposure to chemical and biological agents; occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs (ADs); micro-nanoparticles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antineoplastic agents are medications used to treat cancer that can cause adverse health effects in patients treated with these drugs. In particular, they can be harmful to both cancerous and healthy cells. This is obviously acceptable for cancer patients who have a life-threatening disease. However, healthcare professionals and veterinary workers occupationally exposed to antineoplastic drugs should be protected, and consequently their exposure to these agents eliminated or reduced as much as possible.

In this Special Issue, we hope to bring together significant research that advances the knowledge base on occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs. Of particular interest will be papers that evaluate occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs through biological and environmental monitoring. In vitro, in vivo, and human studies, as well as mechanistic studies that contribute to the understanding of worker health effects are welcome. Additionally, papers that describe risk assessments, bases for occupational exposure limit (OEL) development, and evidence-based risk management are also being sought.  This Special Issue will focus on the publication of original manuscripts and critical reviews to advance the understanding of the possible health effects of antineoplastic drugs and the means to protect workers exposed to them.

Prof. Dr. Ivo Iavicoli
Dr. Jerald L. Ovesen
Dr. Paul J. M. Sessink
Dr. Cristina Sottani
Dr. Elena Grignani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental monitoring
  • biological monitoring
  • workers
  • workplace 
  • risk

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 832 KiB  
Article
Occupational Exposure to Antineoplastic Drugs in Twelve French Health Care Setting: Biological Monitoring and Surface Contamination
by Sophie Ndaw and Aurélie Remy
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4952; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064952 - 11 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2419
Abstract
Antineoplastic drugs used in the treatment of cancers have an intrinsic toxicity, because of their genotoxic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic properties. Their use is recognized as an occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs) who may be exposed. The purpose of this article is to [...] Read more.
Antineoplastic drugs used in the treatment of cancers have an intrinsic toxicity, because of their genotoxic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic properties. Their use is recognized as an occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs) who may be exposed. The purpose of this article is to present biological- and environmental-monitoring data collected in twelve French hospitals over eight years. Urine samples were collected from a wide range of HCWs (250 participants) from pharmacy and oncology units, including physicians, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, auxiliary nurses, and cleaners. The investigated drugs were cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, methotrexate, and α-fluoro-β-alanine, the main urinary metabolite of 5-fluorouracil. Wipe samples were collected from various locations in pharmacy and oncology units. More than 50% of participants, from all exposure groups, were contaminated with either drug, depending on the unit, the day, or the task performed. However, workers from oncology units were more frequently exposed than workers from pharmacy units. Significant contamination was detected on various surfaces in pharmacy and oncology units, highlighting potential sources of exposure. Risk-management measures should be implemented to reduce and maintain exposures at lowest-possible levels. In addition, regular exposure assessment, including biological and environmental monitoring, is recommended to ensure the long-term efficiency of the prevention measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occupational Exposure to Antineoplastic Drugs)
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Review

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25 pages, 828 KiB  
Review
Exposure to Antineoplastic Drugs in Occupational Settings: A Systematic Review of Biological Monitoring Data
by Veruscka Leso, Cristina Sottani, Carolina Santocono, Francesco Russo, Elena Grignani and Ivo Iavicoli
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3737; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063737 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5336
Abstract
The high toxicity of antineoplastic drugs (ADs) makes them dangerous not only for patients, but also for exposed workers. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide an updated overview of the biological monitoring of occupational AD exposure in order to extrapolate [...] Read more.
The high toxicity of antineoplastic drugs (ADs) makes them dangerous not only for patients, but also for exposed workers. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide an updated overview of the biological monitoring of occupational AD exposure in order to extrapolate information useful to improve risk assessment and management strategies in workplaces. Several studies demonstrated that remarkable portions of healthcare workers may have traces of these substances or their metabolites in biological fluids, although with some conflicting results. Nurses, directly engaged in AD handling, were the occupational category at higher risk of contamination, although, in some cases, personnel not involved in AD-related tasks also showed quantifiable internal doses. Overall, further research carried out on greater sample sizes appears necessary to gain deeper insight into the variability retrieved in the reported results. This may be important to understand the impact of the extent of ADs use, different handling, procedures, and cleaning practices, spill occurrence, training of the workforce, as well as the adoption of adequate collective and personal protective equipment in affecting the occupational exposure levels. This may support the achievement of the greatest clinical efficiency of such therapies while assuring the health and safety of involved workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occupational Exposure to Antineoplastic Drugs)
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