Occupational Exposures to Illicit Drugs in Forensic Science Divisions

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Personal Author:
  Cox, Jennie ; Bartels, Jacob ; Niang, Mamadou ; Li, Jessica ; Broadwater, Kendra R. ; Chiu, Sophia K. ; Shi, Dallas S. ; Sen, Paro ; Chen, I-Chen ; Gerona, Roy ; Gonzaga, Mikayla ; Dahm, Matthew M.
• Description:
  Forensic scientists from local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies analyze evidence daily in which unknown substances suspected of containing illicit drugs are handled, weighed, and chemically processed. To address concerns about potential occupational exposures to opioids like fentanyl and other illicit substances, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a multi-site exposure assessment among forensic laboratory personnel. NIOSH evaluated personal and area air samples, handwipe samples, area surface samples, and personal biomonitoring urine samples for cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and other metabolites. Thirteen of the 91 personal air, time-weighted average (TWA) samples collected exceeded the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)® Threshold Limit Value (TLV)® for fentanyl of 100 ng/m³ (8 h TWA), with exceedances observed at 4 of 11 sites. The ACGIH Surface Limit (TLV-SL) of 10 ng/cm2 for fentanyl was exceeded for 8 of 86 surface wipes taken in laboratories at 3 of 11 sites. Commonly touched surfaces found to be above the TLV-SL included laboratory scales, keyboards, return air vents, the top of a light fixture, and inside a laboratory hood. Similarly, there were detectable concentrations in air and surface samples for cocaine and methamphetamine. Eight of 11 sites had at least one person with some detectable level of an illicit drug or metabolite in a urine sample. Based on the results of the current study, safety thresholds for fentanyl were exceeded. For other illicit drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin, thresholds have not been established to protect these workers. Due to the unpredictable nature of the evidence being handled, prudent occupational safety calls for minimizing exposure to chronic low doses of illicit drugs, as the health effects are unknown. To minimize exposure risk, best practices were identified from the literature and provided to each laboratory. Since potential health hazards have not been clearly established for chronic low-dose exposures, more research could lead to a better understanding of the potential health effects, if any, on workers.
• Subjects:
  Biological Monitoring Illicit Drugs Law Enforcement Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Biomonitoring; Laboratory; Fentanyl; Methamphetamine; Cocaine; Safety Laboratory Workers; Drugs; Opioids; Methamphetamine; Law Enforcement; Environmental Contamination; Occupational Exposure; Biomonitoring; Threshold Limit Values; TLV;
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2026 Apr; :[Epub ahead of print]
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; Maryland ; Washington ; California ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA] ; San Francisco Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering ; SMRD - Spokane Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  16 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071459
• Contact Point Address:
  Jennie Cox, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, Field Research Branch, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Email:
  qxi3@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Fentanyl (CAS RN 437-38-7) ; Methamphetamine (CAS RN 537-46-2) ; Cocaine (CAS RN 50-36-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d4114e28cb4466af3a36713bc3ea6e7e2da0cf0a81c7bf9bee52d22cca7b6f4d797eeed14a82afacf56e67727295db72177d5306529653da280fa1609df69842
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259057/cdc_259057_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.42 MB ]