Cytotoxic Spills and How to Handle Them

In the healthcare world, dealing with cancer is an unfortunate, but standard practice. To combat this deadly disease cytotoxic drugs are used. These drugs prevent the replication and growth of cells to resist the rapid development of cancerous cells, Rheumatoid-Arthritis, and Multiple Sclerosis. These drugs are difficult to control once inside the human body and can cause numerous side effects. It’s clear these drugs are aggressive inside the human body, so what happens if a cytotoxic spill occurs in a lab environment?

These drugs have to be compounded in regulated settings to reduce the risk to their handlers, however, sometimes spills or accidental exposures do occur. If these drugs are spilled, and their handler comes in contact with them, it can result in serious illness, mutations, loss of pregnancy, alternations of normal blood count, or death.

Facilities generally have a procedure for dealing with spills of these toxic chemicals. To properly clean a cytotoxic spill proper personal protection equipment is critical. Safetec’s Chemotherapy Spill Cleanup kit contains all the necessary PPE. The kit contains specific chemotherapy gloves, a fluid resistant apron with tight cuff links, shoe coverings, and face protection. The kit also includes our Green Z Solidifier so that spills can be easily solidified and placed into one of Safetec’s red bio-hazard bags. Once the spill is contained, follow your facilities disposal guidelines, and disinfect the location of the spill.

Proper cleanup of Chemo drugs is imperative to the health and safety of your employees. Make sure you keep your facility safe and compliant by providing Safetec’s Chemotherapy Spill Cleanup kits in case of an emergency.

Resources:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/safe-use-cytotoxic-drugs.htm