Dr. DANIEL FARCAS

CIH, CSP, CHMM

 

 

  DANIEL@DANIELFARCAS.COM  

304-290-1853

 

SUMMARY: Dr. Daniel Farcas has more than 20 years of experience in conducting scientific research and leading production teams in various fields, including public health, infection control, nanotechnology, microbiology, silica, and asbestos. He is the author or co-author of numerous scientific manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. His research interest is erionite, an emerging naturally-occurring carcinogen that through continued and frequent exposure can lead to mesothelioma and firefighters' exposure to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) through turnout gear or personal protective equipment (PPE) vectors.

 

CREDENTIALS

 

 

 

 

EDUCATION

 

 

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), 2015  in Human and Community Development from West Virginia University (GPA 3.8 - Cum Laude). (Dissertation)

  • Master of Science (MS), 2010 in Forestry from West Virginia University. (Thesis)

  • Master of Arts (MA), 2006 in System's Ecology and EcoTehnique from Bucharest University.

  • Bachelor of Science (BS), 2003 in Chemistry with major in Biochemistry from Bucharest University.

 

WORK EXPERIENCE:

 

2020 to Present

Senior Certified Industrial Hygienist at Windjammer Environmental, LLC.

Windjammer Environmental provides a wide range of Industrial Hygiene and Environmental, Health, and Safety Services nationally. Known for our broad knowledge of environmental and occupational regulatory compliance requirements, our team includes Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH), Professional Engineers (PE), Certified Safety Professionals (CSP), and Certified Hazardous Materials Management professionals (CHMM).

My industrial, commercial and residential clients receive the best technical, environmental, and regulatory assistance and guidance through compliance inspections, audits, and evaluations. I aim to reach the highest standard of what defines a healthy work environment by testing the indoor air quality levels and performing assessments, if necessary, for nuisances like noise, silica, mold, asbestos, volatile organic compounds, coal dust, and ammonia. As an Environment, Health, and Safety Specialist, I ensure our beneficiaries comply with applicable federal and state standards, including OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and ANSI.

My HAZMAT experience includes, but is not limited to lead, PCBs, hazardous materials use, handling and storage, hazardous energy control (Lock Out / Tag Out), fall prevention and protection, underground storage tank (UST), and leaking underground tanks (LUST) removal and disposal, ergonomics and electrical safety and arc flash protection (NFPA 70E).

2018 to 2020

Project Manager at Hillis-Carnes Capitol Service, PLLC.

As an experienced Industrial Hygienist and Safety Professional, my focus was to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevention and control conditions that may result in occupational illness, impaired health, or significant discomfort in the workplace. During the Risk Assessments and Exposure Monitoring process, I visually inspected the premises and personnel work areas to identify and evaluate hazardous work operations and conditions and recommend corrective procedures where the potential for injury exists. I also served as a subject matter expert on occupational and environmental and draft policy statements for our clients based on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations while developing and conducting compliance training for employees and contractors.

2014 to 2018

Research Chemist in Industrial Hygiene at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

05/01/2016 to 10/31/2018: Allergy and Clinical Immunology Branch

My occupational health and safety research focus was to evaluate personal protective equipment (PPE) exposure to biological pathogens as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), P. Aeruginosa, K. Pneumonia, and B. Subtilis by using standard microbial techniques and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to assess viable and non-viable microbial cells washed from the fabrics. I also employed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe the bacterial attachment to fabrics and characterize biofilm formation stages following ASTM E2274, E1054 protocols, and BS EN 16616 method.

05/01/2014 - 04/30/2016: Exposure Assessment Branch

I continuously improve and drive exposure and assessments research in the fields of silica, carbon nanotubes, and asbestos while identifying potential occupationally exposed populations, updating analytical methods for field monitoring and lab analysis, and performing on-site field sampling efforts to characterize workers exposure. The result of my research has been published in peer-review journals, as detailed below.

2010 to 2013

Environmental Scientist at Cira and Associates Consulting, LLC.

I completed hundreds of indoor air quality investigations and remediation projects that mitigated the impacts of microorganisms, mineral fibers, radon, lead, and volatile organics in residential and occupational environments. I collected air quality real-time data, prepared samples for laboratory analysis, and wrote reports documenting results while recommending technical solutions for mold removal and asbestos abatement. My soil characterization and remediation projects (including Phase I, II, and III) focused on leakage of petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, heavy metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls from above and underground storage tanks.

2008 to 2010

Graduate Research and Teacing Assistant in Environmental Biology at West Virginia University (WVU).

As a graduate assistant, I taught, tutored, and graded students' tests for WVU General Biology and Life Science Laboratories (BIOL 103 & 101). I was also a frequent guest lecturer for botany, biology, zoology, cellular, and molecular biology classes. My research focus was on nitrogen cycling in forest soil chemistry and sequestration before the invasion of hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) of eastern hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) stands.  My study involved soil sample collection and GPS mapping, sample analysis through flow injection analysis and ion chromatography, and the development of spatial prediction maps using ArcGIS to acquire a spatial perspective of the soil nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in the forested ecosystems. As a principal investigator in the forest soil chemistry laboratory, I analyzed samples using numerous molecular techniques: Chemical Purification & Characterization (NMR, IR, HRMS, HPLC, FID, PID, ECD, and Optical rotation), organic volatile and organic semi-volatile contaminants by mass spectrometry.

My research results are presented in the thesis published in June 2010 and entitled "Site characterization of hemlock stands at Allegheny National Forest." My thesis was cited in January 2017 by the Canadian Journal of Forest Research in the "Thinning effects on foliar elements in eastern hemlock: implications for managing the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid" article.

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

  1. Farcas D, Lee T, Chisholm W, Soo J, Harper M [2016]. Replacement of filters for respirable quartz measurement in coal mine dust by Infrared Spectroscopy. J Occup Environ Hyg 13(2):D16-D22.

  2. Soo J, Lee T, Chisholm W, Farcas D, Schwegler-Berry D, Harper M [2016]. Treated and Untreated Rock Dust: Quartz Content and Physical Characterization. J Occup Environ Hyg 13(11):D201-D207.

  3. Kang J, Erdely A, Afshari A, Casuccio G, Bunker K, Lersch T, Dahm M, Farcas D, Cena L [2017]. Generation and Characterization of Aerosols Released from Sanding Composite Nanomaterials Containing Carbon Nanotubes. NanoImpact 5:41-50.

  4. Farcas D, Harper M, Januch JW, Jacobs TA, Sarkisian K, Stetler LD, Schwegler-Berry D [2017]. Evaluation of Fluidized Bed Asbestos Segregator to determine erionite in soil. Environ Earth Sci 76(126):1-15.

  5. Farcas D, Blachere F, Kashon ML, Sbarra D, Schwegler-Berry D, Stull JO, Noti JD. [2019] Survival of Staphylococcus aureus on the outer shell of fire fighter turnout gear after sanitation in a commercial washer/extractor. Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology  14(10).

  6. Carrieri, M.; Guzzardo, C.; Farcas, D.; Cena, L.G. Characterization of Silica Exposure during Manufacturing of Artificial Stone Countertops.  International Journal of Enviromental research and Public Health, 17, 4489.
BOOKS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POSTERS &
PRESENTATIONS
 
          
 
        
 

  1. Farcas D, Lee T, Chisholm WP, Soo J, Harper M [2015]. Possible replacements for DM450 filters in FTIR analysis of silica in coal mine dust abstract. AIHce 2015 AIHA Conf. Proceedings: 69-SR-128-02. 

  2. Soo J, Lee T, Chisholm W, Farcas D, Schwegler-Berry D, Harper M [2015]. Treated and Untreated Rock Dusts: Silica Content and physical Characterization abstract, American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce EXP), Baltimore, MD. 

  3. Cena L, Kang J, Farcas D, Erdely A [2015]. A Standardized Approach for the Generation and Characterization of Aerosols Released from Composite Nanomaterials in Industrial Scenarios abstract, (AIHA) AIHce 2016, Baltimore, Maryland , May 21. 

  4. Daniel Farcas, Allan Collins, Martin Harper, Michael McCawley, and Denny Smith [2015]. Erionite Studies in Custer National Forest, West Virginia University, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design Nineteenth Annual Research and Creative Scholarship Conference on April 7.

  5. Daniel Farcas, Allan Collins, Martin Harper, Michael McCawley, and Denny Smith [2015]. Erionite Studies in Custer National Forest, Shepherd University, Division of Graduate Studies, WV Graduate Research Day April 18.

  6. Bishop L, Cena L, Kang J, Farcas D, Afshari A, Kodali V, Dahm M, Schubauer-Berigan M, Schwegler-Berry D, Eye T, Battelli L, Casuccio G, Bunker K, Erdely A. [2016] Characterizing the particulate aerosol generated from sanding MWCNT-enabled composites and the impact on in vivo toxicity. abstract, Allegheny-Erie Society of Toxicology Regional Meeting, Morgantown, West Virginia, May 18-19.

  7. Daniel Farcas [2016] Meeting Middle School Science Standards: Resources for Teaching Evolution and Natural Selection for Middle School Teachers, Mid-Atlantic ASTE Conference Region of The Association for Science Teacher Education, Gatlinburg, TN, Sept 23.

  8. Daniel Farcas [2016] Evolution for Middle School Educators, Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association at Penn Stater Conference, State College, PA, December 2.

  9. D. Farcas, F. Blachere, M. L. Kashon, D. Sbarra, D. Schwegler-Berry, J. D. Noti. [2018] Survival of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms on the Outer Shell of Firefighter Turnout Gear after Sanitation in a Commercial Washing Machine,  8th American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Conference on Biofilms, Washinghton, DC, October 10.

  10. D. Farcas, F. Blachere, M. L. Kashon, D. Sbarra, D. Schwegler-Berry, J. D. Noti. [2019] Survival of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms on the Outer Shell of Firefighter Turnout Gear after Sanitation in a Commercial Washing Machine,  2019 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce EXP), Minneapolis, MN, May 2019.

  11. D. Farcas, [2019] Survival of MRSA on the Outer Shell of Firefighters' Turnout Gear After Sanitation in a Commercial Washer/Extractor, 2020 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (Virtual AIHce EXP).
 
 
HONORS & AWARDS

 

  • Outstanding Scholarship, Research and Participation from West Virginia Association of Graduate Schools, Apr 2015 at Shepherd University, WV.

  • Honorary citizenship of Morgantown by Mayor Marti Shamberger and President Gordon Gee on May 12, 2016 at the WVU Erickson Alumni Center.

  • Fellows SIG Best Student Poster form the American Industrial Hygienist Association (AIHA) at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce EXP), May 2019. (link)

  • Protective Clothing and Equipment Committee Best Student Poster form the American Industrial Hygienist Association (AIHA) at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce EXP), May 2019. (link)