title: Chemical degradation of wastes of antineoplastic agents. 2: Six anthracyclines: idarubicin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, pirarubicin, aclarubicin, and daunorubicin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Handling of genotoxic compounds commonly used in cancer chemotherapy generates contaminated wastes that require decontamination before disposal. Chemical methods are an alternative and/or a complement to incineration for the treatment of wastes and spills.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of a program initiated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 3 chemical methods readily available in the hospital environment--sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl, 5.25%), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, < or = 30%) and Fenton reagent (FeCl2, 2H2O; 0.3 g in 10 ml H2O2, 30%)--are being tested for the degradation of a total of 32 antineoplastic agents. The efficiency of degradation was monitored by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The mutagenicity of the degradation residues were tested by the Ames test using tester strains Salmonella typhimurium TA 97a, TA 98, TA 100, and TA 102 with and without an exogenous metabolic activation system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The first results obtained for the degradation of cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and melphalan have been published in this journal. The present manuscript reports the results of the investigation of a series of six anthracyclines (aclarubicin, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, idarubicin, and pirarubicin) commonly used in chemotherapy treatment. Pharmaceutical preparations corresponding to the most concentrated administration solutions in either NaCl (0.9%) or dextrose (5%) were inactivated by oxidation volume/volume with each of the methods for at least 1 h. Complete degradation into nonmutagenic residues of all the tested compounds was observed after 1 h for the NaOCl (5.25%) treatment as previously reported for the first study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sodium hypochlorite (5.25%) is an efficient reagent for the chemical degradation of the nine drugs tested thus far.
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France. castegnaro@iarc.fr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castegnaro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Méo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laget
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michelon
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garren
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sportouch
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hansel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006256:Hazardous Waste / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000592:standards; D007202:Indicators and Reagents / Q000592:standards; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D016877:Oxidants / Q000592:standards*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite / Q000592:standards; D012996:Solutions / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D009153:Mutagens; D016877:Oxidants; D012996:Solutions; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite