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Dust entry

Illicit methamphetamine powder

Illicit methamphetamine encountered as powder during forensic laboratory handling and analysis.

Airborne form

dust

The form describes what is suspended in air at the point of exposure. A material can produce more than one form, such as dust during handling and fume during heating.

Health effects

occupational exposure concernrespiratory exposure concern

Evidence

A NIOSH HHE measured methamphetamine in personal air samples, on employees’ hands, and on laboratory surfaces, and observed powder-handling practices that could make controlled substances airborne.

Source: pdf ↗ · saved source
page 5 · Our Key Findings · 1
Some forensic laboratory chemists had detectable levels of cocaine (11 of 12), fentanyl (4 of 12), heroin (9 of 12), and methamphetamine (3 of 12) in their personal air samples. ... We also measured detectable levels of illicit drugs in the air samples of some employees who had not worked with those drugs that day.

NIOSH reports that the evaluated illicit drugs had no federal or consensus occupational exposure limits and recommends minimizing workplace exposures to methamphetamine and other controlled substances.

Source: pdf ↗ · saved source
page 8 · Recommendation 1: Reduce employees’ exposures · 1
We have no indication that the work exposures to cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine that we detected have impacted employees’ health. However, following sound occupational health practice, we recommend minimizing workplace exposures to controlled substances.

Controls