Studies on the decontamination of surfaces exposed to cytotoxic drugs in chemotherapy workstations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the removal and deactivation of cytotoxic contamination from surfaces of a pharmaceutical isolator workstation. METHODS: Three marker cytotoxic drugs were evaluated in three phases using decontamination technologies currently available in the pharmaceutical and healthcare environments. Phase I investigated the physical removal of contamination by detergents. Phase II and III investigated the effectiveness of detergents and Vaporised Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP) in degrading cytotoxic drugs, respectively. RESULTS: 5-Flurouracil, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide were removed from a surface by wiping with detergents. VHP and alkaline detergents caused degradation of doxorubicin. The observed effect with detergent cleaning was pH dependent, but neither of the technologies applied had any effect on the chemical stability of 5-flurouracil and cyclophosphamide under the conditions tested.