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Researchers are recommending upgrading air filters on buses and trains after finding trace amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine on public transit, including on TriMet trains in Portland.

The big picture: Public health officials say the drug levels weren't high enough to pose a risk to the public, but the long-term effects on drivers working in such conditions haven't been thoroughly studied, the researchers said.

Why it matters: Transit agencies have reported frequent drug use on buses and trains, which some drivers fear is compromising their health from secondhand exposure.

What they did: University of Washington researchers collected dozens of samples from 11 buses and 19 trains across five Pacific Northwest transit agencies, including 11 TriMet trains.

What they found: Of 78 air samples taken from across the five agencies, researchers detected small levels of methamphetamine in all of them.

They also found methamphetamine in 100 of 102 surface samples they collected.

Fentanyl was detected in a quarter of the air samples and nearly half of the samples taken from surfaces.

Yes, but: "Just because we can measure it in the lab does not necessarily mean it's at a level that can pose a health risk to operators or riders," said Marissa Baker, a UW assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences who co-led the assessment.

However, Baker told reporters at a press conference Thursday, "there isn't a lot of research as to what levels may cause health effects and after how much time."

State of play: Neither Oregon nor Washington nor the federal government have enforceable standards for what level of fentanyl or methamphetamine exposure is appropriate in the workplace, Baker said.

With that in mind, the researchers recommend "controlling exposure to the lowest level that is reasonably achievable," she said.

That means adopting enhanced cleaning protocols and upgrading air filtration systems on transit to a MERV-13 efficiency standard, or at least to the highest feasible standard, the research team said.

What they're saying: TriMet said that although many of its buses have the recommended MERV-13 level of filtration, its MAX trains use slightly lower-efficiency MERV-10 filters.

That's the highest level of filtration approved for the trains' existing HVAC systems, the agency said.

Spokesperson Roberta Altstadt told Axios that with more than 140 light rail vehicles systemwide, each of which has two HVAC systems, the cost of replacing them all "would be substantial."

What we're watching: Whether future research delves deeper into the health effects of prolonged exposure to traces of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the workplace.

Traces of fentanyl and meth linger on Portland public transit

Public health officials say the drug levels aren't high enough to pose a risk to the public.

Photo: Rebecca Smeyne/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Public transport

Researchers are recommending upgrading air filters on buses and trains after finding trace amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine on public transit, including on TriMet trains in Portland.The big picture: Public <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="health officials say" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2023-09/Letter%20from%20OPC%20WPC%20medical%20directors_pdf.pdf" data-vars-content-id="3495f389-f243-4794-bcc7-30b3d1217134" data-vars-headline="Traces of fentanyl and meth linger on Portland public transit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2023-09/Letter%20from%20OPC%20WPC%20medical%20directors_pdf.pdf" target="_blank">health officials say</a> the drug levels weren&#x27;t high enough to pose a risk to the public, but the long-term effects on drivers working in such conditions haven&#x27;t been thoroughly studied, the researchers said.

Transit

Fewer Portland millennials are seeking mortgages to buy homes, and many are turning to family for help becoming homeowners.

Why it matters: Nearly three-quarters of aspiring homebuyers say affordability is the No. 1 obstacle to owning a house, per a Bankrate study.

What's happening: The number of millennials (ages 27 to 42) seeking mortgages this year is slowing down, according to data from LendingTree, an online financial platform that lets users compare mortgage deals.

In the first half of 2022, nearly 52% of LendingTree's mortgage requests across the U.S. came from millennials. In the first half of 2023, that share dropped to roughly 50%.

Portland saw a similar trend. Across the metro area millennials comprised nearly 56% of local mortgage requests early last year. But that figure fell to just over 54% in the first half of this year, per LendingTree.

Meanwhile, A Redfin report on "nepo-homebuyers" found 38% of recent buyers under age 30 received family money to afford their down payment.

Zoom in: Among U.S. millennials who don't already own a home, 44% said not having enough income was their No. 1 barrier to buying, Bankrate found.

The next biggest obstacles were down payments and closing costs (43%) — which require money up front — and high home prices (42%).

Only 21% of millennials said they were "just not ready" for homeownership yet.

The intrigue: Cash home sales have been rising again in Portland after a slow decline over the past decade and a steeper drop recently.

Cash transactions climbed .7% between 2019 and 2022, approaching 25% of all home sales, according to ATTOM, a real estate data firm.

The vast majority of cash purchases in Portland over that time period were by individuals rather than companies.

The latest: Housing industry groups are urging the Fed to stop raising interest rates as a way to combat a housing market that's tightened in Portland as rates have gone up.

Share this and let us know: Are you struggling to buy a home in Portland? How old are you? Did you get help from family, or tap retirement savings?

Millennial mortgage seekers slip in Portland

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Real estate

Fewer Portland millennials are seeking mortgages to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="buy homes" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/33064485.31823/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjMvMDkvMTkvaG91c2luZy1hZmZvcmRhYmlsaXR5LWNyaXNpcz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2xvY2FsX3NlYXR0bGUmc3RyZWFtPXRvcA/63dab5e736e45e7c710e8466B24b2f44c" data-vars-content-id="b3b85bbd-259e-410c-ba44-c1f6acbbeeca" data-vars-headline="Millennial mortgage seekers slip in Portland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/33064485.31823/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjMvMDkvMTkvaG91c2luZy1hZmZvcmRhYmlsaXR5LWNyaXNpcz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2xvY2FsX3NlYXR0bGUmc3RyZWFtPXRvcA/63dab5e736e45e7c710e8466B24b2f44c" target="_blank">buy homes</a>, and many are turning to family for help becoming homeowners.Why it matters: Nearly three-quarters of aspiring homebuyers say affordability is the No. 1 obstacle to owning a house, per <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a Bankrate study" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/homeownership-remains-centerpiece-of-american-dream/" data-vars-content-id="b3b85bbd-259e-410c-ba44-c1f6acbbeeca" data-vars-headline="Millennial mortgage seekers slip in Portland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/homeownership-remains-centerpiece-of-american-dream/" target="_blank">a Bankrate study</a>.

News

If you don't feel like going to a public dog park or you don't have one nearby, here's another option: Sniffspot, an Airbnb-style service where people rent out their backyards or private land as dog runs.

Details: Sniffspot was started in Seattle about five years ago and has since expanded to all 50 states.

In the Portland area, the app offers over 115 fields or backyards you can rent for your canine companions, including 68 that have access to some type of water.

When we searched, the cost per dog ranged from about $5 to about $25 per hour.

Why it matters: Portland's more than 30 off-leash dog parks aren't always located in places that are convenient for dog owners. Plus, some dogs don't do well when there are dozens of other pups running around, and could use a private fenced zone to play in.

Of note: Sniffspot says some of its hosts make more than $3,000 a month renting out their unused land.

The bottom line: People are getting creative to give dogs and their owners space to roam.

How to rent a Portland backyard for your dog

This app offers over 115 fields or backyards in the Portland area that you can rent by the hour.

A photo of a dog running in a grassy field.

Here's Joby at Beaver Park in Camas. Photo: Meira Gebel/Axios

Dogs

If you don&#x27;t feel like going to a public dog park or you don&#x27;t have one nearby, here&#x27;s another option: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sniffspot" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sniffspot.com/" data-vars-content-id="f9568250-b783-45ad-b03a-76bcb16335f2" data-vars-headline="How to rent a Portland backyard for your dog" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sniffspot.com/" target="_blank">Sniffspot</a>, an Airbnb-style service where people rent out their backyards or private land as dog runs.Details: Sniffspot was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="started in Seattle" data-vars-click-url="https://www.geekwire.com/2018/startup-founder-unleashes-new-venture-sniffspot-looks-to-connect-dog-owners-with-safe-play-spaces/" data-vars-content-id="f9568250-b783-45ad-b03a-76bcb16335f2" data-vars-headline="How to rent a Portland backyard for your dog" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.geekwire.com/2018/startup-founder-unleashes-new-venture-sniffspot-looks-to-connect-dog-owners-with-safe-play-spaces/" target="_blank">started in Seattle</a> about five years ago and has since expanded to all 50 states.

Melissa Santos

Featured stories

Millennial mortgage seekers slip in Portland

Traces of fentanyl and meth linger on Portland public transit

How to rent a Portland backyard for your dog