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. 2021 Mar 24;10(1):1993.
doi: 10.4081/jphr.2021.1993.

Chemical risk in hospital settings: Overview on monitoring strategies and international regulatory aspects

Bruno Charlier  1 , Albino Coglianese  2 , Federica De Rosa  3 , Francesco De Caro  4 , Ornella Piazza  5 , Oriana Motta  6 , Anna Borrelli  7 , Mario Capunzo  8 , Amelia Filippelli  9 , Viviana Izzo  10
Affiliations

Chemical risk in hospital settings: Overview on monitoring strategies and international regulatory aspects

Bruno Charlier et al. J Public Health Res. .

Abstract

Chemical risk in hospital settings is a growing concern that health professionals and supervisory authorities must deal with daily. Exposure to chemical risk is quite different depending on the hospital department involved and might origin from multiple sources, such as the use of sterilizing agents, disinfectants, detergents, solvents, heavy metals, dangerous drugs, and anesthetic gases. Improving prevention procedures and constantly monitoring the presence and level of potentially toxic substances, both in workers (biological monitoring) and in working environments (environmental monitoring), might significantly reduce the risk of exposure and contaminations. The purpose of this article is to present an overview on this subject, which includes the current international regulations, the chemical pollutants to which medical and paramedical personnel are mainly exposed, and the strategies developed to improve safety conditions for all healthcare workers.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Main aspects contributing to environmental and biological risk in clinical settings.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Chemical structures of common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used in clinical settings.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Chemical structures of common anesthetic gases used in clinical settings.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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