In Public Safety, Dangers Are Often Unseen

With all of the potentially life-threatening situations police officers face out in the streets, one wouldn't expect that exposure to toxic substances is a major and growing danger.

Methamphetamine use is raging all over the country, and in Utah, where it's the number-one drug problem, busting "meth" labs is a regular part of the job for CWA-represented deputies with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. When gathering evidence and cleaning up the toxic labs, "We go in wearing 'Smurf' suits complete with goggles and gloves," said Deputy Dirk Roesler, vice president of CWA Local 7700.

A few years ago, the deputies wore regular street clothes during clean-ups. "We were taught to sniff what was in the beakers to identify the chemicals," Roesler said.

Chemicals used in meth labs include methanol, ether, benzene, methylene chloride, trichloroethane, and toluene — none of which should be inhaled.

"As a result, we have 110 officers who have developed serious health issues and some have died," Roesler said. One recent death was that of a close friend and colleague, just 30 years old. Some of the deputies are developing obscure forms of cancer at rates far higher than expected for the general population, he said.

Getting workers' compensation coverage for the officers has been an uphill fight. The burden of proof is on the officers to prove the illnesses are job-related.

Roesler said the union is lobbying the state to enact a "presumptive law" statute to ensure help for affected officers. Under the law, an employer trying to deny coverage would have to prove the condition isn't associated with the job.

The deputies organized with CWA in 2004 after years of frustration with the "take it or leave it" approach that the County Council took regarding deputies' concerns about safety, as well as wage and benefit issues.

Invisible and silent threats

For state troopers in West Virginia, exposure to airborne and bloodborne pathogens and other infectious materials are among the many dangers they face.

"We make physical contact with suspects and victims as a regular part of our daily responsibilities," said John Smith, president of the CWA-affiliated West Virginia Troopers Association, Local 2019. "You just don't know when you'll come into contact with someone who carries a highly dangerous virus or medical condition."

Commonly found bloodborne pathogens are those causing hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, meningitis, and HIV.

"Extra special care needs to be taken at crime scenes, which are not usually the most sterile environments," Smith said.

He said troopers need to have latex gloves at the ready and to be careful to avoid unprotected contact with innocuous everyday objects such as telephones, which can have traces of blood or contaminants on the mouthpiece.

Stress is another health and safety issue facing the troopers and many other officers among the 25,000 CWA members in public safety. Many are working longer hours because state and local governments haven't kept funding and resources of law enforcement up to pace with the growth in crime and population.

"Since 2005, more than 58 of our officers have left before retirement age," which is 55, Smith said. "Many officers are realizing that fifty years old is entirely too old to be doing this kind of work."