The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines a hazardous drug as a drug that can cause serious effects, such as cancer, organ toxicity, fertility problems, genetic damage, and birth defects. Some hazardous drugs can evaporate at room temperature and produce vapor, including: carmustine, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and fluorouracil.
Other drugs on the NIOSH list of hazardous drugs include: Arsenic trioxide, Bortezomib, Carboplatin, Gemcitabine, and Irinotecan.
Safe-handling precautions for hazardous drugs can vary depending on the activity and the drug's formulation, but all listed drugs are considered hazardous.
NIOSH adapts the HD med lists from time to time as medications are added, changed, or refined. As of July 2024 the last official version of the list is dated 2016. A version of the NIOSH table that is in draft form from 2020 is on our web site is:
Source: Google AI Overview