A homeless man smokes fentanyl in Seattle, Washington, on March 12, 2022. John Moore/Getty Images
Supportive housing staff in some areas of B.C. are facing “substantial exposure” to secondhand fentanyl smoke, according to a new report.
The findings are based on an evaluation done by Sauve Safety Services on behalf of B.C.’s Housing Ministry and were conducted at 14 supportive housing locations in Vancouver and Victoria. The report concluded that some staff at these locations face levels of secondhand fentanyl smoke that “grossly exceeded applicable regulatory limits,” including limits established by WorkSafeBC.
B.C.’s Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said in a statement it is aware of the health risks from fentanyl exposure and is “working closely with partners to act quickly and ensure frontline staff and residents are protected,” adding that “immediate steps are needed to reduce known risks identified through air quality testing.”
The 600-page report includes recommendations that supportive housing sites install better ventilation system in offices, apply stricter rules about smoking for tenants, and require staff to wear respirators. It noted similar exposure risks were found across multiple employee tasks, from cleaning, to kitchen work, to “simply remaining in the office.” It said none of the staff at locations were wearing respiratory equipment.
The report also noted high levels of the chemically altered opioid fluorofentanyl, which can be twice as strong as fentanyl, were present during testing at all three locations in Vancouver. This was of particular concern at Al Mitchell Place on Alexander Street in Vancouver, where fluorofentanyl concentrations were five times higher than fentanyl, raising serious health concerns.
Testing done at 11 supportive housing locations in Victoria found relatively safer air quality levels at some locations, but others had fentanyl levels that exceeded regulatory limits.
B.C.’s Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs says it is currently working with WorkSafeBC, as well as B.C. Housing and the B.C. Centre for Disease control to come up with new guidelines that will reduce people’s exposure to airborne fentanyl, with the ministry saying it will share more details on next steps soon.
Last month the ministry formed a working group to study safety in the province’s supportive housing, including the issue of exposure to secondhand fentanyl smoke.
B.C. began a three-year pilot project in January 2023 to decriminalize possession of 2.5 grams or less of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA. Health Canada granted an exemption to the province at the time. But in April 2024, B.C. Premier David Eby asked Ottawa to urgently amend its exemption to prohibit all public drug use after widespread criticism from municipal leaders and citizens who said open drug consumption was rampant in community parks and public spaces. Eby said police needed to be empowered to take action when drug use impacts public safety.
Eby also mentioned the issue of open drug use around health-care professionals at the time, saying “We will not tolerate the safety of health professionals or patients in our hospitals being compromised.” B.C. tried to put its own ban on public drug use into law but was blocked by an injunction from a B.C. Supreme Court judge.
However, B.C.’s attempted ban on public drug use failed after the law was repealed in December of last year after successful court challenges from the Harm Reduction Nurses Association and other substance-use reform advocates stopped it from being put into effect.
Despite the repeal, B.C. appealed to Ottawa to enforce federal laws in B.C. around public drug use to give police discretion to stop public narcotics consumption.
According to the Government of Canada, there were 7,146 apparent fatal opioid overdoses last year in Canada and 24,587 apparent opioid overdose emergency room visits. There were a total of 52,544 apparent opioid toxicity deaths reported between January 2016 and December 2024.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
