All Public Transit in Portland, Seattle Tests Positive for Meth, Half Test Positive for Fentanyl
A new study from the University of Washington found that all public transit in the greater Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington areas tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl.
In a press conference this week, officials reviewed the recommended levels of drug contaminates that do not pose a threat to the public and announced the findings of the study, which were unsettling.
The study, sponsored by Sound Transit, King County Metro, Community Transit, Everett Transit, and TriMet, was conducted after concerns were raised regarding the health of transit employees being exposed to high drug usage by passengers.
“UW researchers analyzed the findings from 78 air samples and 102 surface samples collected from the transit vehicles,” the study reads. “Of the 78 air samples, 20 (25%) had detectable fentanyl and 100% had detectable methamphetamine.”
Regarding the surface samples taken, researchers found that 47, equivalent to 46%, had “detectable fentanyl” and 100, equivalent to 98% had “detectable methamphetamine.”
“Detection of fentanyl or methamphetamine by the lab does not mean it poses a health risk to operators or the riding public,” the study’s authors added.
Researchers also note there are “no enforceable state or federal regulations” regarding exposure to methamphetamine, fentanyl, or other drug paraphernalia in a workplace setting. Authors add that “related occupational safety and health standards” that are not “substance-specific” could be applied to these situations, and warrant the requirement for an “accident prevention program, hazard communication, personal protective equipment (PPE), and others.”
This particular study did not test transit employees or passengers for secondhand fentanyl or methamphetamine exposure, but it did confirm a large amount of the substances are present at any given time.
“Operators are different from the riding public, because operators are exposed for a much longer time period,” Marc Beaudreau, a researcher with UW’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences said. “The potential long-term health effects associated with daily exposure have not been adequately researched, so until these relationships are established, we’re suggesting protective measures that transit agencies could implement to keep operators safe.”
Policies that decriminalize drug possession have been largely blamed for the increased safety hazards for public employees in the two metropolitan areas, as several transit operators reported experiencing negative effects from their work environment.
Notably, the police forces in both cities has been either reduced or prevented from enforcing the law, and Seattle has even initiated a pilot program hiring unarmed social workers who will act as “crisis responders” in the place of a trained police officer.
In response to the drug crisis afflicting the city, Portland’s city council voted Wednesday to ban the use of hard drugs on public property and added criminal penalties to using drugs in public. The ordinance, however, will not go into effect unless the state legislature gives municipalities the ability to enforce these new policies.
