Which organization provides criteria to identify hazardous drugs?

• A. NIOSH
• B. OSHA
• C. EPA
• D. FDA

Answer: (A)

Understanding hazardous drugs starts with the criteria set by NIOSH. NIOSH defines which drugs pose an occupational health risk and provides guidelines and a Hazardous Drugs List to identify them. The criteria cover properties like carcinogenicity, teratogenicity or reproductive toxicity, organ toxicity at low doses, genotoxicity, or other similar hazards. When a drug meets these criteria, healthcare facilities implement containment measures, engineering controls, and appropriate PPE to protect workers.

Other agencies have different roles. OSHA enforces workplace safety standards and may reference NIOSH guidance, but it does not establish the drug-specific criteria itself. FDA handles drug approval, safety, and labeling, not the criteria for handling hazardous drugs. EPA governs environmental hazards and pesticides, not occupational handling of medicines. So the organization that provides the criteria to identify hazardous drugs is NIOSH.