NIOSHTIC-2 Publications Search

Reservations concerning second-hand fentanyl exposure in the operating room.

Authors
Law BF; Hettick JM; Hornsby-Myers J; Siegel PD
Source
J Addict Dis 2010 Jul; 29(3):282-283
NIOSHTIC No.
20037216
Abstract
We are aware of the controversy that Dr. Gold's report of trace levels of fentanyl and propofol in the air of surgical rooms has evoked. Drug dependence among surgical and anesthesiology staff is a serious and complex issue, and we acknowledge the potential for generation of bioaerosol containing narcotics during surgery. Our study was an examination of room air during cardiovascular surgeries in a local hospital to quantify the level of "second hand" fentanyl, a similar setting to that previously reported. Our findings are relevant to fentanyl only; we did not study or attempt to measure propofol. Our manuscript carefully detailed our sampling and analytical methodologies. We sampled an approximate 780-fold greater air volume and used instrumentation of equal sensitivity and better specificity to that reported by Dr. Gold. We are confident that if fentanyl-containing bioaerosol were present in the vicinity of the anesthesiology station at levels previously reported, we would have been able to quantify it.
Keywords
Occupational-exposure; Operating-rooms; Medical-treatment; Medicinal-chemicals; Medical-care; Health-care-personnel; Health-care-facilities; Anesthetics; Anesthesia; Narcotics; Sampling; Analytical-methods; Aerosols; Surgery
CODEN
JADDER
CAS No.
437-38-7
Publication Date
20100703
Document Type
Letter
Email Address
bhl7@cdc.gov
Fiscal Year
2010
Issue of Publication
3
ISSN
1055-0887
NIOSH Division
HELD
Source Name
Journal of Addictive Diseases
State
WV
Page last reviewed: May 11, 2023
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Education and Information Division