Fentanyls and the Safety of First Responders: Science and Recommendations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hornsby-Myers, Jennifer ; Howard J
• Description:
  Opioids have many beneficial uses in medicine, but, taken inappropriately, they can cause life-threatening health effects. The increasing use of physician-prescribed and illicit opioids, including highly potent fentanyl and its analogs, have contributed to a significant increase in opioid-related drug overdoses in the United States, leading to a public health emergency. There have been a number of reports describing adverse health effects experienced by police officers, fire-fighter emergency medical services providers, and private sector ambulance personnel when responding to drug overdose incidents. Several sets of exposure prevention recommendations for first responders are available from government and the private sector. Understanding the scientific basis for these recommendations, increasing awareness by responders of the potential risks associated with opioid exposure during a response, and educating responders about safe work practices when exposure to opioids is suspected or confirmed are all critical prevention measures that can keep first responders safe. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Emergency Responders Environmental Exposure Fires Law Enforcement Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Fentanyl Drugs Emergency Medical Services Workers EMS Exposure Levels Fire Fighting First Responders Health Effects Medical Rescue Services Opioid Crisis Police Officers Preventive Medicine Risk Factors Safety Measures Safe Work Practices Training Work Environment Workers Work Practices

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director ; EPRO - Emergency Preparedness and Response Office
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  61
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051817
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2018 Aug; 61(8):633-639
• Contact Point Address:
  John Howard, MD, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 395 E Street, S.W., Suite 9200, Washington, D.C. 20201
• Email:
  zkz1@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8bbdc3b0bdd9e89e3f1cf70eff873a7ff52f723bc489272fb63644a4c90f793576e07174223cd027fbeb27feda4de8449e33b59bbb1206461c18773443a6bf9d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211549/cdc_211549_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 329.03 KB ]