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From hospital-acquired infections to mold and industrial hygiene problems, Richard Bennett is a health sleuth
February 19, 2014
Arnold School alumnus Richard Bennett has used his knowledge of science and his skills as an entrepreneur to build an environmental health services company, Risk Tech LLC.
He is an entrepreneur who spends many days as a sleuth tracking down killers who show no mercy.
These are the predators that won't find their way on to the FBI's Most Wanted List. Instead, they lurk in places where no one looks until disease and death set in.
That's when Richard Bennett is called. The Arnold School of Public Health alumnus has acquired an expertise at finding these elusive killers, many of which are opportunistic fungi and other microscopic organisms that can prove deadly if left untreated.
So great is Bennett's skill that he and his company Risk Tech LLC are sought after by some of the nation's most prestigious medical centers when hospital-acquired infections are taking the lives of patients.
More than two million hospital-acquired infections occur every year in the United States, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of that number, about 100,000 people die, making hospital-acquired infections the fifth leading cause of death in the country, Bennett said.
The numbers are staggering. "Three times as many people die from these infections as they do from automobile injuries," he said. "The CDC says that 99 percent of these deaths are preventable. It has become a public health problem, and the rate of occurrence tolerated by society is inexcusable."
The same types of infections found in hospitals also can be found in long-term care facilities and outpatient surgery centers, explained.
Not surprisingly, Bennett often finds himself in court as an expert witness when cases involve indoor air quality and industrial hygiene problems in large facilities.
At other times, Bennett finds himself working for the individuals whose health and quality of life are being affected by unknown problems. Mold is a classic example.
Mold was ruining the health of a single mother and her three children living in an apartment at a low-income housing complex in North Charleston, S.C. Every spring and summer, the mold emerged with a vengeance, thriving in the humid, warm Lowcountry environment. Sonya Drayton, 42, and her children became sick during these months. Drayton's problems led to painful sinus surgery; her children had asthma. When the property management company was unresponsive to her complaints, Drayton found Bennett. His company, Risk Tech, tested the building and found it to be so infested with mold that "I'm surprised the family didn't have pneumonia," Bennett said.
Drayton took Bennett's report to the property management company in the hopes of having the mold removed from the building. Several visits to simply wipe down the walls in her apartment failed to remove the health hazard. When Drayton called again to press for a more permanent solution, the response wasn't what she had anticipated: The family was evicted and left homeless. A church took the family in and provided a roof over their head until they could find housing.
The distraught mother turned to Bennett for help. He located an attorney willing to represent the family and last year, Drayton sued her landlord. In a stunning verdict, Drayton and her children were awarded $13.4 million in damages.
But mold is just one environmental hazard Bennett battles on behalf of his clients. In a well-publicized case involving a Myrtle Beach couple, Bennett investigated low-frequency noise believed to be coming from a power company substation less than two miles from the couple's home.
The couple, who ran a successful marketing and talent company, had lived and worked together for years. But their move into a new home near the power lines caused multiple health problems, including paranoia, hallucinations, sleep deprivation and physical illnesses. They complained of an unrelenting hum in the house and unexplained, disturbing vibrations. Bennett was able to document the vibrations in the house and the low-frequency noise readings that sometimes ran twice as high as recommended levels.
"Many people never experience this type of reaction," Bennett said. "But others experience acute problems, similar to what we have found in this case. The ultra-low frequency noise affected their business and ruined their relationship."
Bennett, who grew up in Kershaw, S.C., didn't set out to study environmental health. He earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology from Clemson University and went to work for Campbell's Soup. Along the way, he developed an interest in environmental health and turned to the Arnold School's graduate program in environmental health sciences. The late Dr. Hank McKellar became a friend and mentor and ultimately realized that Bennett's interests were a match with those of Dr. Gene Feigley, an expert in the fields of air pollution, industrial hygiene and exposure assessment.
Bennett combined his interests in environmental health with strong entrepreneurial skills to develop businesses that have become recognized leaders in indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, and environmental health industry. Today's Risk Tech LLC is a multi-disciplinary, full-service environmental health services company that is built on a combined 25-year history of two predecessor firms and more than 100 combined years of experience by the principals in these areas.
An adjunct professor at the Arnold School, Bennett teaches classes where he discusses specific cases and outcomes with environmental health graduate students. He also is a guest lecturer for classes of students pursuing graduate degrees in healthcare administration. The goal is not to make these future hospital and health system administrators “experts” like Richard Bennett. The goal is to create a heightened awareness of the signs and symptoms that should signal the need to call in the help of an expert like Bennett.
Recently, Bennett joined forces with the Arnold School to develop a series of webinars aimed at educating a wide range of people, from contractors who do renovations and develop new construction projects for health care facilities to architects and attorneys, and individuals who live in apartments or homes where damp conditions can create health problems related to mold and mildew. The initial webinars are available in real time and can be scheduled to meet the needs of client groups.
Additional webinars are in development. Some will offer CEU credits through the Arnold School of Public Health. Others will be short, one-hour seminars targeted to homeowners and non-health professionals who want to learn more about how to protect themselves and their families.
Despite the professional success and growth of his businesses, Bennett finds that the personal rewards of his work give him the greatest satisfaction. "I feel like I have struck gold. Our company has a direct impact on the health and well-being of individuals. The impact of our work is almost immediate and very rewarding."
He remembers the day when Drayton called him after her court case successful conclusion.
"She said, 'you have saved my life and the lives of my children.'" As he contemplates that statement, he observes: “That's powerful, and humbling."
To learn more about Risk Tech, visit http://risktechintl.com.
