Which spaces must be under negative pressure for handling hazardous drugs?

• A. Ante-rooms are negative pressure
• B. Containment areas used for HD compounding and certain storage spaces per facility risk assessment
• C. All spaces must be negative pressure
• D. General office spaces

Answer: (B)

The key idea is containment: you want air to flow into the space that handles hazardous drugs so that any aerosols or vapors stay inside the designated area and don’t escape to the rest of the facility. Spaces that are specifically designed to contain HD exposure—and any storage spaces that the facility risk assessment identifies as needing extra protection—are the ones that must be kept under negative pressure. This helps protect staff by ensuring that contaminated air does not leak into surrounding areas.

Therefore, the spaces that must be under negative pressure are the containment areas used for HD compounding and certain storage spaces as determined by the facility risk assessment. General offices and typical ante-rooms aren’t universally required to be negative pressure, and not all spaces in a facility need this designation.