Evaluation of Decontamination Methods of Antineoplastic Drugs Using Ozone Water and Sodium Hypochlorite

Decontamination of antineoplastic drugs in safety cabinets by guideline-recommended swabbing using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is difficult. Studies on decontamination of antineoplastic drugs are lacking. On the flooring of our chemotherapy center, we evaluated the decontamination effect of ozone water (OW) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). Cyclophosphamide (CP), 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine (GEM) were the antineoplastic drugs used as indicators of this evaluation.Wipe tests were conducted before and after immersion decontamination of flooring using 0.3 M NaOH, OW and 0.1% NaClO, as well as before and after immersion decontamination or swabbing decontamination using OW and NaClO. Wipe tests were also conducted after immersion decontamination or wipe decontamination using NaClO after OW and OW after NaClO.Flooring that was contaminated at the first wipe test was not decontaminated by immersion decontamination using NaOH. However, it was decontaminated using immersion decontamination by employing OW and NaClO continuously after using NaOH. Flooring contaminated by CP, 5-FU and GEM was decontaminated largely by immersion decontamination using OW or NaClO. When the immersion decontamination was conducted by using OW continuously after using NaClO, or by using NaClO continuously after using OW, contamination was hardly detected. In the case of swabbing decontamination, similar results were found.Variation in effectiveness between immersion decontamination and swabbing decontamination was not shown. These results suggest that decontamination of antineoplastic drugs is possible using 0.3 M NaOH, OW, and 0.1% NaClO. Furthermore, antineoplastic drugs could be decontaminated by swabbing using OW and 0.1% NaClO.