Antineoplastic Drug Handling Protection after OSHA Guidelines

Although Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued antineoplastic drug handling guidelines in 1986, literature reports indicated that use of protection in the early 1980s did not meet OSHA standards. This study investigated the use of protection by pharmacy and nursing staff in a national sample of facilities participating in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project collaborative clinical trials network of the National Cancer Institute. Extent of handling, handling activity, and use of protection are compared by work setting and profession. Use of protection by the study sample in 1988 to 1989 is compared with their past use, with use of protection in previous studies, and with OSHA guidelines. In general, pharmacists are better protected than are nurses, and hospital staff are better protected than staff in outpatient settings who also tend to handle more drugs. Although improving over time, protective garment use does not meet OSHA guidelines, particularly among nurses when administering agents or handling patient excreta.