title: Effects of open-air temperature on air temperature inside biological safety cabinet.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In Japan, biological safety cabinets (BSCs) are normally used by medical staff while handling antineoplastic agents. We have also set up a class II B2 BSC at the Division of Chemotherapy for Outpatients. The air temperature inside this BSC, however, decreases in winter. We assumed that this decrease is caused by the intake of open-air. Therefore, we investigated the effects of low open-air temperature on the BSC temperature and the time of admixtures of antineoplastic agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The studies were conducted from January 1 to March 31, 2008. The outdoor air temperature was measured in the shade near the intake nozzle of the BSC and was compared with the BSC temperature. The correlation between the outdoor air temperature and the BSC temperature, the dissolution time of cyclophosphamide (CPA) and gemcitabine (GEM), and accurate weight measurement of epirubicin (EPI) solution were investigated for low and normal BSC temperatures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BSC temperature was correlated with the open-air temperature for open-air temperatures of 5-20°C (p < 0.0001). The dissolution of CPA and GEM at these temperatures was significantly delayed as compared to that at 25°C (p < 0.01 and p < 0.0001, respectively). The weight measurement of EPI solution using a syringe method lacks accuracy because of its high coefficient of viscosity at low temperatures (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the BSC temperature decreases below room temperature in winter when air is drawn from outdoors. We showed that the BSC temperature affects the dissolution rate of antineoplastic agents. Further, we suggested that the BSC temperature drop might delay the affair of the admixtures of antineoplastic agents and increase the waiting time of outpatients for chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Umemura
authors.forename: Katsuro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shigeno
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamura
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osada
authors.forename: Midori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soda
authors.forename: Kiyofumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wakiya