For more than two decades, Jim Mullowney has been sounding the alarm about a problem many don't want to confront: the hidden risks associated with human waste from cytotoxic drugs. As the founder of Pharma-Cycle, a company dedicated to providing safe collection and disposal systems for the urine, feces, and vomit of patients containing cytotoxic drugs, Mullowney has devoted his career to preventing birth defects, including autism, childhood cancer, and others.
"I first realized what we were dealing with when I saw syringes full of chemotherapy drugs being mishandled at a hazardous waste facility," recalls Mullowney. "These were not ordinary chemicals; many of them are cytotoxic, designed to alter the DNA of rapidly dividing cells, such as a child being born. They are life-saving in the right medical context, but their second-hand exposure is disastrous."
