24 Antiseptic drugs and disinfectants

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the studies of the effects of antiseptic drugs and disinfectants. The most recent evaluation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the sterilizing and preservative agent formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen. There is strong evidence that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer, strong but not sufficient evidence for leukemia, and limited evidence for sinonasal cancer. Excess mortality from lymphohemopoietic malignancies, in particular myeloid leukemia, and brain tumors has been found in the surveys of anatomists, pathologists, and funeral workers, all of whom may have worked with formaldehyde. The risk of cancers in the funeral industry has been investigated by studying the relation of mortality to work practices and formaldehyde exposure. To verify the relation between formaldehyde human serum albumin conjugate (FA-HAS)—a biological marker of exposure—and the markers of effect—namely, chromosome aberrations, micronuclei, sister chromatid exchanges—laboratory workers who had been exposed to high concentrations of formaldehyde were compared with a reduced exposure group. A significant relation was found between occupational exposure to formaldehyde and the biological marker of exposure. The markers of effect did not indicate the presence of genetic damage.