Nurses and healthcare workers exposed to chemo at work

It didn't take long for me to realize what a heavy duty job nursing is and how often nurses get injured at work in D.C. hospitals.  Nurses, OR technicians and other healthcare workers get hurt lifting patients, moving patients from the operating room to the floor, turning patients - you name it.  And lifting patients can cause back injuries, rotator cuff tears, neck injuries.

But recent studies show that nurses and other healthcare workers exposed to chemo - while administering it to cancer patients and working around it - may be at greater risk for developing cancer themselves.  

A Danish epidemiology study of more than 92,000 nurses found an elevated risk for brain cancer, breast cancer and other types of cancer.  Part of the problem is the chemotherapy agents - that can be found on counter tops, door knobs, handles, etc. are invisible, difficult to clean, long lasting and easily spread.    

To read the article profiling one nurse's courageous story to get the word out, click on the title above.