Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 19;29(3):244-249.
doi: 10.1188/25.CJON.244-249.

The Use of Plastic-Backed Pads to Reduce Hazardous Drug Contamination

AnnMarie L Walton  1 , Melissa A Powell  2 , Margaret A Bush  3 , Susan G Silva  4 , Haesu J Jin  5 , Ivan Spasojevic  6 , Anthony D Sung  7
Affiliations

The Use of Plastic-Backed Pads to Reduce Hazardous Drug Contamination

AnnMarie L Walton et al. Clin J Oncol Nurs. .

Abstract

Toilet plume aerosols are a source of hazardous drug (HD) contamination in patient bathrooms; however, using plastic-backed pads to reduce contamination has not been tested within the clinical setting. This study tested wheth.

Keywords: excreta; hazardous drug contamination; plastic-backed pads; toilet plume.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
STUDY DESIGN Note. The entire unit entered the experimental condition, and staff were notified of procedures to follow in using the plastic-backed pads. Data were collected for 2 months, afterwhich a 1-month break from data collection was taken, and a notification was made to the staff that they could return to their usual practice (control condition). Although staff could use plastic-backed pads at their own discretion, the usual practice was to not use them. Data were collected in that control condition for 2 months, then another 1-month break from data collection was taken, afterwhich the entire process was repeated as follows: staff notification of procedures to follow in the experimental condition, collection of data for 2 months, a 1-month break, notification that staff could return to their usual practice, and then collection of data for 2 months. Note. There were a total of 144 samples in the experimental condition and 144 samples in the control condition.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
SAMPLES WITH DETECTABLE LEVELS OF CONTAMINATION BY SURFACE LOCATION Note. There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control conditions by surface location. Note. There were 48 samples taken from the toilets, floors, and walls in both the experimental and control conditions for a total of 288 samples.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
SAMPLES WITH DETECTABLE LEVELS OF CONTAMINATION BY TIMING OF SAMPLING postchemo—postchemotherapy; prechemo—prechemotherapy Note. There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control conditions by surface location. Note. There were 48 samples taken prechemo, postchemo, and postdischarge in both the experimental and control conditions for a total of 288 samples.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Connor TH, Zock MD, Snow AH. Surface wipe sampling for antineoplastic (chemotherapy) and other hazardous drug residue in healthcare settings: Methodology and recommendations. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. 2016;13(9):658–667. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2016.1165912. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Eisenberg S, Cai C. Comparing two methods of reducing hospital toilet aerosols. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2023;27(2):191–197. doi: 10.1188/23.CJON.191-197. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Eisenberg S, Walton A, Connor TH. The occupational and environmental hazards of uncovered toilets. American Journal of Nursing. 2024;124(4):55–60. doi: 10.1097/01.naj.0001010592.45177.43. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Olsen MM.& Walton AL. Safe handling of hazardous drugs. 4th ed. Oncology Nursing Society; 2024.
    1. Oncology Nursing Society. Ensuring healthcare worker safety when handling hazardous drugs. 2022. https://www.ons.org/network-advocacy/position-statements/ensuring-health... .