This is rather frightening and also disturbing, although not surprising. It has been known for a long time that people can become ill from “second hand chemo” but now the subject is finally getting some attention.

Thanks to InvestigateWest, the story has now come out across the cyberwaves. MSNBC picked it up, as did the Seattle Times and a few others.

What is most disturbing is that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not regulate exposure to chemotherapy in the workplace, despite multiple studies documenting ongoing contamination and exposures and their potentially deadly consequences for human health. Studies going back 30 and 40 years ago have already shown this, but amazingly enough, OSHA has no regulations in place.

And it’s not because it’s a girl thing. I know, that’s what a lot of you are thinking–that this mainly affects nurses and nurses are a bunch of powerless little girls, so who cares if they “catch” cancer from their patients. Well, one of the primary targets of second hand chemo are pharmacists, a profession well represented by the male gender. Another healthcare profession at risk are veterinarians.

So why is OSHA lacking here? Why do individual hospitals, clinics, offices, etc, have to mandate their own regulations? And for the ones that don’t, there is no penalty.

This video is really sad, and shocking.