Jeffrey B. Hicks, CIH, QEP

Mr. Hicks’ areas of experience include indoor air pollution/building illness investigations; environmental mold evaluations; workplace chemical and dust exposure assessments; dose reconstruction associated with past exposures to various chemicals and mineral dusts such as asbestos; health, safety and environmental audits; hazardous waste health and safety support; regulatory analysis and compliance plans; microorganism and sewage contamination; ambient air toxic measurements ranging from regional monitoring networks to fenceline studies; and source emission measurements from a wide variety of combustion devices and process vents. Mr. Hicks routinely serves as an expert witness.

He has provided consultation in these areas in a diverse cross section of environments, including manufacturing environments, office and institutional buildings, residential settings, construction sites, asphalt industries, electronics manufacturing and assembly, chemical and petroleum operations, mining, electric utilities, transportation and service facilities, food processing, pulp and paper operations, wood products, and hazardous waste sites.

Mr. Hicks has taught health, safety, and environmental courses for the University Extension programs at Davis and Berkeley since 1982.

Hicks JB, Edwards CE. How to recognize and evaluate an “environmental mold” claim. AVA Tort and Insurance Practice Committee News, Fall 2000.

Hicks JB, Fabinova E, Yeager J. Airborne arsenic and urinary excretion of arsenic metabolites during boiler cleaning operations in a Slovak coal-fired power plant. Environ Health Perspect 1997; 105(8):836.

Hicks JB. Is Legionnaires disease a threat? Energy Environ Manage 1996; 1(4):36.

Hicks JB. Asphalt industry cross sectional exposure assessment study. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1995; 10(10):840.

Hicks JB. Residential indoor air quality. In: The Work Environment: Indoor Health Hazards. Hansen D (ed), Lewis Publishers, New York, NY, 1994.

Hicks JB. Pollutants in the indoor environment. In: The Work Environment: Indoor Health Hazards. Hansen D (ed), Lewis Publishers, New York, NY, 1994.

Hicks JB. Indoor air quality and health complaints. In: The Work Environment: Indoor Health Hazards. Hansen D (ed), Lewis Publishers, New York, NY, 1994.

Hicks JB. Toxic constituents of coal fly ash. In: Managing Hazardous Air Pollutants: State of the Art Reviews. Chao W (ed), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1993.

Hicks JB. Engineering solutions to indoor air quality problems. Proceedings, HVAC and Building Systems Congress ‘91, The Association of Energy Engineers, Anaheim, CA, April 1991.

Hicks JB, Worl KM, Hall K. Building bake-out during commissioning: Effect on VOC concentrations. Proceedings, Indoor Air ‘90, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Ontario, Canada, July 1990.

Hicks JB, Johnson AS, Winegar ED. Indoor air testing for low-level volatile organics: A site specific approach. Proceedings, Measurement of Toxic Air Pollutants, Air, and Waste Management Association, Pittsburgh, PA, June 1990.

Hicks JB, Gephart LA. Air pollution. In: New York Lifestyle Activities-Environmental Health Concerns. Cralley L, Cralley L, Clark Cooper W (eds), Wiley Publishers, 1989.

Hicks JB. Fly ash exposures in coal fired boilers, Phase I and II. EPRI, Research Project RP2222-2, Palo Alto, CA, June 1988.

Hicks JB. Tight building syndrome. Occupational Health and Safety, January 1984.

Investigated over 3,000 structures where illness patterns or other indoor air concerns have occurred. Investigations typically included ventilation system evaluations, analysis of illness characteristics and patterns, pollutant source and pathway evaluation, and development of effective remedies.

Evaluated several thousand structures for concerns about contamination and health aspects of environmental molds. These have included single family houses, condominium complexes, apartments, schools, health care facilities/hospitals, office buildings, industrial sites, and food processing facilities.

Performed a series of preventive indoor air quality assessments at a manufacturing site that included over 50 buildings. Due to concerns that there may be wide spread and systematic problems with these buildings, a protocol was established to "audit" the indoor environment and building operations and systems. The protocol included assessing ventilation systems and their performance, measurement of ventilation supply provided by the mechanical ventilation systems, and recommendations for improving indoor air quality based on the results and observations made during the site visit.

Performed exposure assessments using direct measurements and computational modeling to determine indoor concentrations and exposures to chemical agents migrating from outdoor ambient point sources, by subsurface routes, or from indoor sources. These studies have examined residential, institutional, and commercial building environments. They have addressed potential health effects and confounding issues, such as other indoor sources of target chemicals.

Directed a comprehensive investigation of several buildings suspected of being contaminated with the legionella bacterium following concerns that some occupants had developed Legionnaires' disease. A thorough inspection of the building spaces and likely sites where the bacterium could proliferate was performed, as well as a comprehensive sampling and culturing of water samples to identify water sources where the organism may be present. Meetings were held with employees to explain the investigative procedure and to respond to questions, which had a calming effect and avoided the need to evacuate the building.

Managed a nationwide multi-industry asphalt fume occupational exposure assessment conducted for the Asphalt Institute. Air and skin wipe samples were collected from several hundred employees engaged in work activities where asphalt fume exposures could occur, in five different industry categories throughout the United States. Innovative analytical procedures were performed to quantify multi parameters off of each sample collected. Statistical analysis of the data was performed to summarize the results and compare exposures in different industry sectors and by job description. This information was presented to NIOSH and OSHA and used in the rule-making process. A similar project was performed for the Florida Department of Transportation, that focused on exposures associated with the use of ground tire rubber (GTR) used in asphalt paving products. An expanded list of potential chemical exposures, that required innovative sampling and analytical methods, was examined as part of this project.

Conducted numerous exposure assessments and dose reconstruction studies related to asbestos from vehicle and industrial friction products, construction material manufacturing and use, insulation and pipe lagging materials, mining and milling activities, and emissions related to naturally occurring asbestos deposits. Prepared and conducted over-site of asbestos abatement activities in schools, commercial and institutional buildings, and industrial operations.

Conducted a 14-year study for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) examining worker exposures to coal fly ash and its constituents at coal-fired power plants. This multiple site study, conducted at coal-fired power plants across the United States, involved innovative sampling and analytical methodologies, and addressed examination of analytical procedures for fly ash, assessment of exposure control technologies, data management, statistical analysis and detailed QA/QC procedures. This study included collection and analysis of over 1,000 air, bulk and human subject blood and urine samples. The study evolved into measuring the bioavailability of arsenic from coal fly ash at a power plant in the Slovak Republic.

Acted as health and safety officer at several hazardous waste/pollution investigation and remediation sites. Tasks associated with these projects included review of potential hazards and chemical exposures, developing written health and safety plans, and performing worker and environmental exposure monitoring and assessments. Had principal involvement in developing and presenting health and safety training programs for individuals working at hazardous waste sites.

Managed a number of health, safety and environmental audits for a variety of industries and activities. In one project, the audit addressed hazardous material storage, handling, receiving and transportation, with emphasis toward worker and public health and safety. This project was performed for a large aerospace firm that had 25 buildings in three adjacent cities. The project included development of several audit protocols for the diverse activities being performed, and design and implementation of a data management system to efficiently report and summarize the audit results.

Managed an air toxics measurement project at a large Southern California petroleum refinery that entailed stack emission measurements from eight process heaters, boilers and processing units to accurately determine the emissions of air toxic chemicals including multiple metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, aldehydes and criteria pollutants. This project was particularly challenging due to the short time frame required to meet regulatory deadlines. All work was successfully completed within the required schedule.

Managed a program involving pooled emissions measurement of air toxic compounds for a consortium of asphalt facilities in Southern California. As Program Manager, Mr. Hicks managed a project that involved measuring air toxic and criteria pollutant emittants from five asphalt facilities for a wide variety of chemicals including multiple metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, hexavalent chromium and criteria pollutants. Due to the variations in production at each facility, careful coordination was required to ensure adequate production runs to meet the sampling duration requirements for the various methods. Special consideration was given to ensure the lowest possible detection limits were achieved.

Managed an air toxics emissions program for a Fortune 100 company installation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Emissions of a wide variety of solvent vapors and other potential air toxic compounds are being routinely measured at a large electronics manufacturing facility. The project includes performance testing of carbon absorption systems and other air pollution control systems to ensure proper operation performance. This project has required innovative sampling techniques for unusual sources such as open, aerated waste water treatment facilities, fugitive emissions from various waste treatment units, and stack measurements from cooling tower vents.

Acted as Program Manager for a Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) study of chloroform emissions from public swimming pools. Measurement protocols included direct surface emissions using surface isolation flux chambers and extensive upwind downwind monitoring network using state-of-the-art sampling and analytical procedures. Due to the needs to measure very low concentrations, enhanced detection limits were required and achieved, reaching part per trillion levels. The surface emissions were compared to downwind ambient concentrations by dispersion modeling.

• American Industrial Hygiene Association—AIHA, Sacramento Valley Section (Past President)
• American Industrial Hygiene Association—AIHA
• American National Standards Institute, Committee Z 9.8 member
• AIHA National Indoor Environmental Quality Committee (Past-Chairman, 1999)
• International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate
• University of California (Los Angeles and Davis) Hazardous Waste Consortium Advisory Board
• University of California Extension (Davis) Health and Safety Certificate Advisory Board
• University of California Berkeley and Davis, Extension Instructor (Indoor Air Quality, Mold, Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, Industrial Hygiene)
• CAL/OSHA Advisory Committee, Minimum Ventilation Standard (Technical Consultant)
• EPA Building Assessment and Study Evaluation Program Steering Team
• EPA Peer Review Panel—Indoor Air Quality