title: [An attempt to degradation of anticancer drug and odor in the medical environment by photocatalyst].
abstract: Currently, there is a need to reduce the occupational exposure of health care workers to anticancer drugs. Environmental contamination by anticancer drugs and subsequent exposure of health care workers are associated with vaporization of anticancer drugs. Furthermore, carcinomatous unpleasant odor is an additional problem to vaporized anticancer drugs in the field of clinical cancer therapy. We attempted to degrade vaporized anticancer drug and unpleasant odor using a photocatalyst. Cyclophosphamide or unpleasant odors (ammonia, formaldehyde, isovaleric acid, and butyric acid) were vaporized by heating in a closed chamber. Plates of photocatalyst coated with titanium dioxide were placed into the chamber and irradiated by light source. Vaporized cyclophosphamide in the chamber was recovered by bubbling the internal air through acetone and derivatized by trifluoroacetic anhydride for analysis by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric assay. Vaporized odors were determined using a gas-detector tube, which changed color depending on the concentration. Following activation of the photocatalyst by a light source, the residual amounts of anticancer drug and unpleasant odor components were significantly decreased compared with when the photocatalyst was not activated without a light source. These results indicate that the photocatalysts can accelerate the degradation of vaporized anticancer drugs and odor components. Air-cleaning equipment using a photocatalyst is expected to be useful in improving the QOL of cancer patients experiencing carcinomatous unpleasant odor, and in reducing occupational exposure of health care workers to anticancer drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Iwate Medical University Hospital, 19-1 Uchimaru, Morioka, Iwate, Japan. ZAP02377@nifty.ne.jp
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Kenzo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuwashima
authors.forename: Sonpei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kijihana
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Katsuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000032:analysis; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008027:Light; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D009812:Odorants; D010777:Photochemistry; D014025:Titanium; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C009495:titanium dioxide; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D014025:Titanium