| More than 5.5 million workers all over world are | | | | chromatid exchanges, and other endpoints in studies of |
| potentially exposed to different kinds of hazardous | | | | pharmacists and nurses who handle these drugs. |
| drugs. They may be exposed to a drug throughout its | | | | Surveys have associated workplace exposures to |
| life cycle which includes its manufacture, transport and | | | | hazardous substances with minor health effects such |
| distribution, use in health care or home care settings | | | | as hair loss, headaches, irritation, hypersensitivity, as |
| and waste disposal. These workers include shipping | | | | well as adverse reproductive outcomes including |
| and receiving personnel, pharmacists and pharmacy | | | | infertility, spontaneous abortions, and congenital |
| technicians, nursing personnel, physicians, operating | | | | malformations and abnormalities. A recent study |
| room personnel, environmental services personnel, | | | | documented learning disabilities in the children of nurses |
| research laboratory personnel, and workers in | | | | who had handled antineoplastic drugs during the |
| veterinary practices where these drugs are used. With | | | | course of their employment. Reports have addressed |
| the use of antineoplastic drugs expanding into other | | | | a correlation between cancer occurrence and |
| specialties, the number of workers who are not | | | | healthcare workers' exposed to these drugs. A |
| properly trained in their safe handling has increased | | | | significantly increased risk of leukemia has been also |
| over the past few years. | | | | reported among oncology nurses. |
| There are so many evidences related to occupational | | | | Healthcare organizations suggest that the adverse |
| exposure in health care workers. Medical staffs that | | | | effects found in many of these studies occurred |
| prepare and administer hazardous drugs have higher | | | | because workers do not properly adopt safe handling |
| indications of mutagenic substances in their urine | | | | guidelines promoted by them. However, these studies |
| compared with non-exposed workers. This evidence is | | | | throw a light on the significant adverse outcomes in |
| supported by numerous studies examining urine | | | | routinely exposed workers dealing with hazardous |
| mutagenicity, chromosomal aberrations, sister | | | | drugs. |