Airborne drug levels in a laminar-flow hood.

The airborne levels of fluorouracil and cefazolin sodium injections after manipulation of these drug products inside a horizontal laminar-flow hood were measured. The Biotest RCS Centrifugal Air Sampler, generally used to measure microbial levels in air, was adapted with a paper filter to measure drug levels in air. In each of nine trials, five ampuls of fluorouracil were opened in the hood and transferred to empty vials. Likewise, in each of nine trials, 50 vials of cefazolin sodium 1 g were reconstituted and transferred to small-volume i.v. solutions. Drug manipulations were performed between the hood's filter and the Biotest, which was placed inside the hood. Drug collected on the filter in the Biotest was assayed with ultraviolet spectrophotometry after extraction. The range of fluorouracil collected by the Biotest was from 0 to 14 microgram, corresponding to 0-0.07 microgram/liter of sample air. Recovered cefazolin sodium ranged from 28 to 131 microgram, or 0.02-0.11 microgram/liter of sampled air. Following routine manipulation of drug products in a laminar-flow hood, the drug can contaminate, the air flowing over the product.