we must act now to stop this global crisis! there is hope.
we must act now to stop this global crisis! there is hope.
Patients and families should be alerted to the extreme dangers of exposure to secondhand chemo and told to how to protect themselves. Strong government regulations protect pharmacists and oncology workers when they are handling these extremely powerful chemicals. Unfortunately, families and caregivers do not.
Despite the fact that drug companies clearly indicate a full range of side effects on their package inserts, as well as warnings against the handling of carcinogenic and mutagenic substances, few nurses and oncologists offer advice to families and caregivers against these risks. Some may even suggest that it is impossible for someone to experience secondhand chemo. Research has shown cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs excreted by cancer patients are known to cause cancer and birth defects in future generations with no safe level of exposure.
Remember secondhand smoke? Exposure to secondhand chemotherapy is far worse. Those in the patient's close circle face the same risk of cancer and birth defects as pharmacists and oncology workers. There are strong government regulations in place to protect healthcare professionals who handle these toxic chemicals every day, but little-to-nothing is being addressed with regard to the risks families face by being exposed to this toxic human waste.
Patients, families and caregivers should be alerted to these dangers and provided with the proper protective equipment to safeguard against secondhand exposure. There are technologies and processes available to capture, sequester and destroy chemotherapy chemicals in cancer patients' human waste before it is flushed down a toilet and others are unknowingly exposed. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies are not providing caregivers access to these technologies. With an increase in outpatient at-home care and a rise in non-professional caregivers, there is a growing concern about unintentional secondhand exposure and the grave consequences it can bring.
While this is not an exhaustive list, a range of symptoms from exposure to chemotherapy drugs can be found below. These side effects can be experienced by the patient, their families, or people who are in close contact with those taking chemotherapy drugs.
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