ABSTRACT
Hazards arising from contaminated non-sterile products have been less readily appreciated. The most obvious and severe consequence of microbial contamination is the direct infection of the patient. The eye is particularly vulnerable to infection, and ophthalmic preparations are now required to be sterile. Hands of staff and patients are a very important means of transmission of hospital infection. Infection with salmonellae has occurred on a number of occasions following administration of pharmaceutical products contaminated with this oral pathogen. Topical medicaments, particularly an emulsifying ointment used mainly as a substitute for bath soap by eczematous patients, were also involved in the cross-contamination of patients in a hospital for diseases of the skin. Consumers may be harmed by the production of toxins or metabolites or by the inactivation of biologically active constituents in a formulation. Almost all cosmetics and toiletries come into contact with healthy skin and this constitutes a good physical barrier against infection.
