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Occupational‑hygiene experts: measure background, limit handling and strengthen controls in forensic labs
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Summary
An occupational‑hygiene expert and forensic practitioners said there are no established exposure limits for most illicit drugs, urged routine monitoring (surface, hand, air, biomonitoring), and recommended elimination/engineering/work‑practice controls and targeted PPE to reduce analyst exposure.
Occupational‑hygiene specialists and lab managers who spoke on a Forensic Technology Center of Excellence webinar urged laboratories to measure and manage background drug residues and to prioritize controls that reduce handling of powdered materials.
Robert Kirkby, an occupational health professional working with the Michigan State Police forensic science division, said the key objective is risk reduction: "the main thing is if we can control the background that's in the laboratory...that we can also control workplace exposures." Kirkby emphasized that no OSHA permissible‑exposure limits exist for the drugs discussed, leaving labs to rely on voluntary benchmarks, manufacturer acceptable surface limits used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, or internally developed clearance criteria.
Kirkby described monitoring tools the team used: surface wipe samples, hand wipes, personal air monitoring and urinalysis. He reported that hand wipes collected from 18 forensic scientists showed roughly half had measurable cocaine and methamphetamine on their hands at the start of shift and that low levels persisted at shift end; urinalysis detected metabolites in multiple participants but at concentrations well below common federal workplace screening cutoffs, leaving the health significance uncertain. "These are very low levels, but since it's your analysis, we know people have been exposed to some level; it's in the body," he said.
Kirkby outlined the industrial‑hygiene ‘‘hierarchy of controls’’ as a template: elimination/substitution (reduce opening of bulk powders), engineering controls (ventilation, draft shields or weighing enclosures), administrative and work‑practice controls (procedures, training, procedural blanks), and personal protective equipment as a last line of defense (nitrile gloves, eye protection, and appropriately fit respirators where needed). He cautioned that PPE programs require documented respiratory programs, medical approval, and fit testing to be effective.
Presenters recommended practical steps for labs: identify instrument LODs and reporting limits before starting background monitoring; run procedural blanks; consider portable weighing hoods to avoid pouring on benches; increase cleaning frequency at hotspots; and train and protect ancillary staff, including custodial workers. The presenters also recommended caution for first responders and cleanup crews because some cleaning solutions contained measurable intact opioids after wiping and should be treated as hazardous.
The webinar concluded with offers of slide decks and publications and an invitation for labs to consult with the presenters on implementing monitoring programs.
