(22 November 2021) In the context of the ongoing trialogue on the fourth revision of the CMD (2004/37/EC), HOSPEEM and EPSU (European Social Partners for the health sector) would like to highlight the need to include hazardous medicinal products (including cytotoxic drugs), as a new entry in CMD Appendix I.
Healthcare workers and patients deserve to be protected by legislation now with measures that are legally binding for all the actors in healthcare, through the best possible systems of work and technology, as well as education and training, to avoid the risk of toxic and genetic damage and associated diseases resulting from exposure to hazardous drugs.
We would also want to recall attention to the same position of the Stop Cancer at Work coalition representing care professionals including doctors and nurses and patients.
Furthermore, in March this year the European Parliament, with a 97 percent vote, approved inclusion of Hazardous Medicinal Products in Appendix I.
Every year more than 12.7 million healthcare workers in Europe, including 7.3 million nurses, are potentially exposed to carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic hazardous drugs.
They deserve protection by the European co-legislators.
For the HOSPEEM-EPSU joint position
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