Chemotherapy drugs have many hazardous side effects. They can have an effect not just on the patients, but also on those who handle them. The handling can involve preparing, transferring, administering and disposing them. Although the researchers have not been able to establish any permanent risk involved with handling these cytotoxic drugs, those who handle them must be made aware of their potential risks. The risks involved with various drugs vary according to the type of drug, the frequency and amount of exposure. So the risk involved with chemotherapy treatment is not just restricted to the patients, they also pose threat to all those personnel who handle these drugs.

Researches show that if these people observe certain precautions when they handle different types of chemotherapy drugs, then the exposure minimizes and subsequently, the risk involved also reduces.

Precautions for Preparing the Agent

There are many precautions that should be practiced for preparing the agents like:

• Wear chemotherapy gloves to provide protection. In case they are not available, wear a double layer of nitrile gloves or surgical gloves. The double layer of the gloves should be worn in such a manner that one layer of the glove must be placed under the cuff of the protective gown and the other over it. In case the outer layer of the double glove gets torn, it must be replaced immediately.
• Wear a gown that is lint-free and is non-permeable having long sleeves. The cuffs should have tight fitting elastic attached to it.
• The disposed toxic material should be disposed in an appropriate manner
• Wear a protective cover on the shoes. This is present in the spill kit.

Chemotherapy Spill Kit

There are many things that should be included in the chemotherapy spill kit. Before buying this kit, check if it contains all the things that are required to clean a chemotherapy spill. Place them where they are easily accessible in case of an emergency. This kit should contain at least two pairs of chemotherapy gloves or nitrile gloves, a gown to cover the whole body, at least two chemo-absorbent pads, safety goggles, at least two waste bags to dispose the waste, respirator mask, spill towels, power absorbent pack, chemotherapy spill sign, a pair of covering for the shoes, a hard surface disinfectant mask and so on.

There are many kinds of these kits available in the market. Check with your doctor or your nurse for the kind of kit that you might require for your home. If you leave the hospital with a pump, then ask the doctor to train you as to what to do is a spill.

Cleaning Chemotherapy Spills

The chemotherapy spill can take place anywhere; on the area where the catheter is placed, the place where the drugs are stored, or while preparing the agents. If a patient is taking the treatment with the help of a pump, then before discharging the patient, the doctors or nurses should make sure that they train the patient’s family members on how to take care of a chemotherapy spill.

Keep a chemotherapy spill handy before you start with the chemotherapy treatment. In case you notice a chemotherapy spill, do not rush to clean it with your bare hands. Take out all the content from your chemotherapy spill kit. Put on the two layers of gloves and the gown present in the kit.

Wipe the liquid that is spilled with an absorbent pad or gauze. If you notice that the drug is leaking from the IV bag, then disconnect the bag first and flush the catheter. At times a leakage or a spill is indicated if you notice a white power around the catheter or the port site.

For a small area use an absorbent pad to cover the site. For a large area of more than six inches, use a chemo absorbent pad to cover the spill. After the spill is absorbed, remove the pads and place them in the waste bag with the label - ‘chemo waste bag’.

If the cytotoxic drug comes in direct contact with the skin, immediately wash it with soap and water, and dry the exposed area. If the leakage spills on the cloth that is worn, then immediately remove the cloth and wash it at once in hot water and bleach. If the cloth gets thoroughly drenched, then the best thing to do is to dispose the cloth.

Inform your nurse without delay about the spill.

In the event of handling a larger spill, make sure apart from wearing the gloves, you also wear the protective gown, respirator mask, shoe covering and the safety glasses.

Whether the chemotherapy spill has to be handled by a patient at home or a caregiver in the hospital, sufficient amount of training must be given to handle the drugs and agents. Buy a chemotherapy spill kit which has been recommended by your doctor. Dispose such hazardous chemicals in an appropriate manner. The spill can occur while preparing transporting, storing or administering the drugs. A caregiver can also be exposed to these hazardous and hence, should take adequate precautions. For this the personnel handling these drugs should be well trained and also should be made aware of the various ways in which they can get exposed to these drugs.