SDAIHA generally meets bimonthly on the 3rd Wednesday of the month during lunchtime. Meeting times and dates are subject to change based upon location availability. If you are interested in presenting during one of our local chapter meetings or during our annual PDS, please send an email request to [email protected].
February 2024 Local Section Meeting Details
Topic: Don't Meth Around... Do You Know the Risks of Recreational Drug Use to Non-Users?
Speaker: Kristy Thornton
Date: Thursday, February 15, 2024
Time: 11:00AM - 1:00PM (Lunch served 11AM-12PM) (Presentation 12PM-1PM)
Location: Conference Room at the Lincoln Military Housing Murphy Canyon District Office
Address: 10323 Orleck Street, San Diego, 92124
Price: $20 members / $25 non-members
Certificate of attendance will be provided
Speaker: Kristy Thornton
Kristy Thornton has over 12 years of experience in a consultant capacity providing safety, health and industrial hygiene services to support clients to develop and implement health and hygiene programs during the planning and execution of major projects to evaluate chemical, physical and biological hazards in a variety of workplaces, including contaminated land, construction and infrastructure projects.
Kristy has also been involved in designing health and safety management programs which include health risk assessment for implementation across the life-cycle of major infrastructure assets. Such assessments include qualitative approaches during asset feasibility, design and procurement, followed by quantitative assessment during construction, commissioning and operation, the design of which is intended to afford evidence-based and timely decision making and inform the selection and implementation of practical controls relevant to each client’s project or operational environment.
Kristy’s experience also extends to collaborating and coordinating with clients and FACS project managers for the assessment and remediation of properties and facilities impacted by illicit drug use.
Presentation Details:
Title: Don’t Meth Around.... Do You Know the Risks of Recreational Drug Use to Non-Users?
The illicit drug epidemic continues to gain public awareness; however, one aspect of the problem gets little attention: Illicit drug residue caused by recreational use can expose others to severe health risks – whether they are users or not. That means anyone who accidentally inhales or absorbs illicit drug residue is threatened.
Of the roughly 70,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2017, more than 29,000 were linked to fentanyl and other dangerous synthetic drugs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That represents an 850 percent climb since 2013. As the death toll climbs, so does the risk of secondary exposure.
Only a handful of states have regulations that outline proper assessment procedures, remediation protocols and clearance levels for impacted properties. And even with those handful of states, the majority only focus on drug labs or suspected drug manufacturing sites, as opposed to potential drug contamination caused by recreational use.
Once you’ve become aware that non-prescribed opioids and methamphetamine drug use or manufacturing have been found, you are obligated to sample for and identify any residue, remove it safely, and confirm the effectiveness of the cleanup procedure.
Additionally, it is important that in areas suspected of having been impacted by drug contamination, untrained personnel never enter the space. The potential ramifications of insufficient or improperly conducted procedures or entry can be devastating. This isn’t a job for maintenance staff or housekeeping unless proper equipment and training is arranged beforehand. If police officers can fall victim to fentanyl exposure, it’s certain that untrained workers entering a suspicious area are at an elevated risk. The presentation will focus on the following:
- Brief history of methamphetamine and fentanyl
- Health effects
- Current state and federal regulations
- Proper assessment & sampling
- Remediation recommendations
- Clearance sampling