Cancer nurses across the NHS are being exposed to hazardous medicines linked to an increased risk of miscarriage and infertility because trusts are failing to provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), an investigation by The Independent and Channel 4 News has found.
Tens of thousands of healthcare workers administer toxic drugs such as chemotherapy and treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, HIV and multiple sclerosis, but most are routinely given only a plastic apron and gloves. Without proper PPE, workers can be exposed by breathing in the drugs, through contact with contaminated surfaces, or if a liquid is absorbed through the skin.
Alison Simons, a cancer nurse for more than two decades, said she suffered three miscarriages and believes they were linked to working without necessary protection. 'When I was giving chemo, all we wore were plastic aprons and gloves to my wrists,' she said. 'It was my GP who said, “You give chemotherapy, don’t you.”'
Samantha Toland, a nurse consultant with 26 years' experience, also experienced a miscarriage and said colleagues have had up to six or seven miscarriages. 'The concern is that nurses are not getting the level of protection they should have,' she said.
Professor Karen Campbell, former president of the UK Oncology Nurse Society, published a study last year in which 97 per cent of 747 nurses surveyed said they were primarily given only plastic aprons when administering cancer drugs. Just 62 per cent received the correct gloves for chemotherapy. She described this as an 'inadequate' level of protection, noting that the UK falls behind countries such as the US, where staff are routinely given full surgical gowns.
The Health and Safety Executive is now being urged to review the evidence concerning health risks to staff.
