Monitoring mutagenicity in urine and peripheral blood lymphocytes of pharmacists occupationally exposed to anticancer drugs.
Two approaches to mutagenicity monitoring were compared for estimation of possible absorption of cytotoxic drugs by a group of six pharmacists at Auckland Hospital. Blood samples were taken before and after a three week duty roster, from age and sex matched negative controls, and from a matched group of patients on chemotherapy. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were fixed, stained and analysed for sister chromatid exchange (SCE). Urine samples were collected from the pharmacists on the morning following their last day on cytotoxic dispensing duty, as well as from positive and negative controls. Samples were concentrated and analysed for mutagenicity in the bacterial Ames test. Comparison of negative control groups with the pharmacists using either of these test measures gave no evidence for significant absorption of cytotoxics by the pharmacist group as a whole, although values for the positive control groups were raised significantly in a similar comparison. The value for SCE of one pharmacist however, was elevated in the second sample (after three weeks dispensing duty) when compared with the first sample (before duty) and the urine analysis also suggested that this individual might have absorbed some mutagens. The results permit a comparison of these techniques as a means of ongoing monitoring of similar populations within New Zealand.
Elliott
G
G
Pathology Services, Otago Area Health Board, Dunedin.
Ferguson
L
L
Everts
R
R
Edwards
R
R
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000652:urine*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D010604:Pharmacy; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange; D012869:Skin Absorption; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents