[A smear method for measuring anti-cancer drugs residues in hospitals].
OBJECTIVE
Anti-cancer drugs are harmful to healthy persons. In recent years, occupational exposure to anti-cancer drugs has become a major concern to health care workers. To address this issue, a smear method was developed to measure widely using anti-cancer drugs depositing on the floors, safety cabinet surfaces, and tables in hospital.


METHODS
Ten kinds of widely used anti-cancer drugs, paclitaxel, vincristine, docetaxel, vinorelbine, irinotecan, methotrexate, oxaliplatin, cyclophosphamide, gemcitabine and fluorouracil were collected by smearing material surfaces with methanol impregnated cellulose filter paper and/or polypropylene nonwoven. The collected anti-cancer drugs are extracted in 5 ml of 0.01% (v/v) hydrazine/methanol solution by sonication. The extracted solution was filtered and concentrated to prepare 1ml of sample solution. Then, the anti-cancer drugs in the sample solution were simultaneously measured by LC/MS.


RESULTS
The anti-cancer drugs excepting fluorouracil spread on P-tile surface were measured with recoveries of 37-101% and standard deviations (SD) of 1.8-19%. All 10 of the anti-cancer drugs on a stainless steel plate surface were measured with the recoveries of 35-111% and SD of 1.3-11%.


CONCLUSIONS
Using this smear method, 9 or 10 kinds of widely used anti-cancer drug residues in hospital, possibly exposed to health care workers, were grasped.
Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan.
Takumi
T
Takano
Shigeru
S
Suzuki
Ikuto
I
Tsukiyama
Hiroko
H
Saito
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004350:Drug Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D006761:Hospitals; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D013193:Stainless Steel
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D013193:Stainless Steel