[Health effects of occupational exposure to cytostatics in medicinal personnel in the light of compulsory prophylactics: a cross-sectional study].

The aim of the study was to evaluate health effects of occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs. The study group comprised 104 cytostatic-exposed health care workers employed in departments of chemotherapy; the control group consisted of 103 non-exposed workers employed in wards where cytostatics were not used. A questionnaire survey and routine laboratory assays (morphology, liver and kidney tests) were performed in all subjects. The exposed subjects reported hair loss significantly more frequently than controls (50.6% vs. 10.7%, respectively) Moreover, serious congenital defects were more frequent in the study group than in controls (4/84 pregnancies vs. 1/169 pregnancies, respectively). In conclusion, the results of the study did not reveal any significant differences in routinely performed tests between the subjects exposed to cytostatics and controls. This may be due to low sensitivity of laboratory tests or to the absence of health effects induced by antineoplastic drugs. Because of an increased frequency of congenital effects, women who plan conception should not be exposed to cytostatics or at least this group of women should use any possible individual protectors at work.