C2: Research Roundup Risk Assessment and Management 1

The opioid epidemic continues to affect people across North America. In British Columbia, studies have shown that smoking is the primary method of drug consumption among substance users. There are concerns from community members, first responders, healthcare workers, and others closely involved with this population surrounding the risks of second-hand smoke. No validated methods exist for testing this type of smoke. Limited information about second-hand illicit substance smoke exposure exists. To bridge these knowledge gaps, address community concerns, and better protect workers, the University of British Columbia developed a method for testing airborne illicit substances (e.g., methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, etizolam, and bromazolam). This included: 1) a background search on existing methods; 2) identification of the optimal substances to test; 3) retention efficiency testing; 4) extraction efficiency testing; 5) determination of detection limits; 6) stability testing; and 7) field testing for vapor and particulate phases. This method should increase instances of sampling, and generate more exposure data for assessing the potential impacts of environmental or occupational exposure to illicit substances. This presentation will outline the validation of a sampling and analysis method so that this method can be utilized at sites where exposure to illicit substances is a concern. 

We used AI and natural language processing tools on a large database of electrical industry safety reports to identify and mathematically rank fatality risks for the industry. Identifying and ranking fatality risks was not possible before the advent of big data and large language models like ChatGPT. We will share the often surprising results and discuss how this approach can benefit other industries.