Regulatory verification on safe use of cytotoxic drugs in veterinary clinics and animal hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Veterinarians are increasingly being asked to provide chemotherapy for veterinary patients. However, chemotherapy agents have cytotoxic effects that can pose a health risk to workers from exposure. There are no published studies examining cytotoxic drug (CTD) contamination in veterinary practices in Australia.

METHODS: CTD use at 13 veterinary clinics and animal hospitals across New South Wales (NSW) was verified for compliance with Work, Health and Safety (WHS) legislation on the effectiveness of exposure control measures. Surface swab sampling was performed to detect the restricted carcinogen cyclophosphamide and seven other CTD. A total of 73 surface swab samples were collected from nine locations associated with CTD delivery, storage, treatment and waste disposal at four veterinary practices, with repeat sampling at two veterinary practices.

RESULTS: Compliance with WHS legislation for systematic chemical management, including procedures for safe use of carcinogens, in veterinary practices was high: 4 of the 10 key clauses in WHS chemical management were complied with at all 13 verified workplaces. Surface contamination was detected in three locations, with levels of CTD contaminants ranging from 3.54 to 89 ng per sample.

DISCUSSION: Results showed that, in general, there were safe systems in place to work with CTD in the veterinary practices that were verified in NSW. Areas for improvement were mainly in administrative measures related to hazardous chemical management. Particular attention should be given to raising awareness of the intrinsic hazards of CTD, through training and hazard information provision to staff.