Fears of accidental exposure to Fentanyl hamper efforts of conservation groups

The Watershed Watch Salmon Society cancelled its clean up of the Katzie Slough due to needles and fears volunteers would be at risk of accidental exposure to Fentanyl.

'It really came down to how safe could we keep our volunteers, in the event of an accident'

Tina Lovgreen · CBC News · Posted: Jun 13, 2017 9:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 13, 2017

Watershed Watch Salmon Society campaign manager Lina Azeez bought a naloxone kit, fearing someone may accidentally be exposed to fentanyl residue. (Tina Lovgreen/CBC)

When Lina Azeez decided to become an environmentalist, she never thought she would carry a naloxone kit, the antidote for an opioid overdose.

Firefighter-paramedic treated with opioid antidote after exposure to suspected fentanyl

"I'm supposed to be doing stuff for fish, but now I've got to prepare for all of these, these really dangerous situations," she said.

The campaign manager for the Watershed Watch Salmon Society bought the kit in preparation for a clean up planned for the Katzie Slough in Pitt Meadows.

But the clean up planned for Saturday in an area where homeless people live under the bridge was cancelled due to fears she or other volunteers might accidently be exposed to fentanyl.

"Two years ago we had cleaned up there and found 32 needles ... but now we aren't just talking about needles," she said.

Conservation groups often carry sharps containers to clean up needles found in rivers and parks, but now they fear fentanyl. (Tina Lovgreen/CBC)

The charity organization spoke to the City of Pitt Meadows on May 24 and was advised the organization would be liable for any danger the volunteers face.

"It really came down to how safe could we keep our volunteers," she said, even though she would be the only one picking up and disposing of the actual needles.

I start to realize how much more interconnected our environmental and our social issues are.- Lina Azeez

Another charity cancelled its plans for a school clean up program in the Chilliwack School District based on similar fears.

"We decided we would focus on some educational presentations instead, which will be rolled out next year," said Joe Daniels with The Fraser River Keeper.

Environmentalist Lina Azeez never thought she would carry a naloxone kit. (Tina Lovgreen/CBC)

It shows, according to Azeez, that the fentanyl crisis is not just a problem for the Downtown Eastside or tent cities.

"When you start to go down into these natural spaces and see where people are being flushed into, because they have no where else to go, they don't have safe injection sites, they don't have supports from the province, it just drives the whole issue so much closer to home," she said.

"I start to realize how much more interconnected our environmental and our social issues are," she said.