職業性曝露防止に着目した廃棄容器からの抗がん薬汚染状況調査

抄録

There are no reports on the appropriateness of disposal methods for anticancer drugs and the management of the associated contamination from disposal containers in Japan. We performed a quantitative survey of the contamination from anticancer drugs from disposal containers and aimed to optimize the storage and management of containers to prevent occupational exposure to anticancer drugs. The containment performance of polyethylene bags and disposal containers was measured for cyclophosphamide and 5-fluorouracil. Although cyclophosphamide was detected on the surface of the polyethylene bags after 3 h, neither drug was detected at 72 h at the body-lid junction of the sealed disposal containers, suggesting that following the disposal of cyclophosphamide and anticancer drugs with properties similar to cyclophosphamide, the inside of the disposal containers was exposed to these drugs for a definite period. Furthermore, we olfactorily and visually assessed the spread of the anticancer drugs from the disposal containers. Sensitivity to the smell following the opening of an upward-opening disposal container was significantly higher than these of slide-opening disposal containers. In addition, white vapors of the dry ice stored inside the containers were observed to displace upward following the opening of an upward-opening disposal container. These suggest that if a disposal container had been exposed to anticancer drugs, there was the possibility of unintentional exposure and the contamination spreading to the surrounding area via inhalation. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of occupational exposure to anticancer drugs, setting specific restrictions for the handling of disposal containers is recommended.