Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the present status of working environments for pharmacists, including the concentrations of suspended particles and suspended drug ingredients in dispensaries. We conducted a survey on the work processes and working environment in 15 hospital dispensaries, and measured the concentrations of suspended particles and suspended drug ingredients using digital dust counter and high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively. Of 25 types of powdered drugs that were frequently handled in the 15 dispensaries surveyed, 11 could be quantitatively determined. The amounts of suspended particles were relatively high, but below the reference value, in three dispensaries without dust collectors. The sedative-hypnotic drug zopiclone was detected in the suspended particles at one dispensary that was not equipped with dust collectors, and the antipyretic and analgesic drug acetaminophen was detected in two dispensaries equipped with dust collectors. There was no correlation between the daily number of prescriptions containing powdered drugs and the concentration of suspended particles in dispensaries. On the basis of the suspended particle concentrations measured, we concluded that dust collectors were effective in these dispensaries. However, suspended drug ingredients were detected also in dispensaries with dust collectors. These results suggest that the drug dust control systems of individual dispensaries should be properly installed and managed.
Highlights
Drug compounding and filling environments must be clean to avoid contaminating prescribed medicines with other drugs or pathogens, and to avoid exposure of pharmacists to the compounded drugs by inhalation or adsorption [1]
We conducted a survey on the work processes and working environment in 15 hospital dispensaries, and measured the concentrations of suspended particles and suspended drug ingredients using digital dust counter and high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), respectively
The sedative-hypnotic drug zopiclone was detected in the suspended particles at one dispensary that was not equipped with dust collectors, and the antipyretic and analgesic drug acetaminophen was detected in two dispensaries equipped with dust collectors
Summary
Drug compounding and filling environments must be clean to avoid contaminating prescribed medicines with other drugs or pathogens, and to avoid exposure of pharmacists to the compounded drugs by inhalation or adsorption [1]. Allergic and carcinogenic effects resulting from pharmacists compounding drugs have been previously reported [2,3,4]. The results of a questionnaire showed that many pharmacists working in community pharmacies and in hospital dispensaries developed allergic or irritation symptoms of the eyes, nose, oral cavity, and throat [5]. We hypothesized that these symptoms might result from drug particles contaminating the dispensary and that this contamination should be measured. As a countermeasure to the symptoms described by pharmacists, dust collectors are installed [6, 7] at locations such as medicine preparing tables. The effects of removal of these dust collectors have not been studied
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