It’s no secret that fentanyl use and abuse has sparked a global crisis. The extreme potency of this powerful opioid makes exposure to law enforcement officers a real risk, as well as one that is especially hazardous if the substance becomes airborne.
Fentanyl is more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. What’s more, it can be deadly when trace particles of the narcotic are accidentally inhaled. As such, both law enforcement personnel and K-9 units are at risk of accidental exposure.
Fentanyl use: A brief history
Available for pain relief since the 1960s, fentanyl can be prescribed in five forms: lozenges, oral tablets, oral spray, IV, or a transdermal patch. Illicit forms include spiked blotter paper, powder, and manufactured tablets. Similar to heroin, common symptoms of fentanyl exposure include nausea, vomiting, itching, difficulty breathing, drowsiness and unconsciousness.
Recent trends reflect a street formulation that uses unknown quantities of the synthetic opioid in the creation of hydrocodone and oxycodone lookalike tablets. Other illegal forms of fentanyl are mixed with heroin and cocaine and sold as a combination product to enhance the euphoric effects. The user may or may not know of the combination, which makes the mixture even more lethal.
Risks for law enforcement personnel
Fentanyl is not only dangerous to drug users, but also law enforcement, public health workers, and first responders who may come in contact with it in its various forms. A tiny fentanyl sample that is equivalent to a few grains of salt can potentially kill a 250-pound male, according to Tommy Farmer, a special agent of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
There are numerous instances where law enforcement professionals have come in contact with fentanyl. For example:
- In July 2019, a traffic stop in St. Thomas, Ontario, led to officials discovering fentanyl concealed on a 27-year-old man. The suspect attempted to swallow a bag of the narcotic when a struggle occurred and three officers were exposed and needed to be decontaminated.
- In Atlantic County, New Jersey, detectives discovered a bag of white powder. They opened the bag to test the unknown substance and became ill from airborne exposure to the fentanyl.
- At least three cases have been documented of RCMP officers being exposed to fentanyl accidentally and needing medical attention for overdose symptoms.
As the usage crisis worsens, the potential for exposure among police and other first responders is increasing.
Many law enforcement agencies have amended their standard operating procedures for field testing of unknown substances. Some agencies may opt to forgo all field testing, while others may adopt new tools that reduce exposure or set in place protocols that require that field testing be performed only by specifically trained personnel.
New tools reducing field test risks
Field testing procedures can be greatly improved by using new, portable testing devices rather than the traditional colour-changing field testing kits, which require officers to scoop suspicious substances and deposit them into a small container for identification.
Many officer exposures have occurred while unknowingly handling fentanyl during this process, which often destroys the material (and potential evidence) being tested. Additionally, these kits often produce results that aren’t conclusive, which leaves responders guessing.
Portable, handheld spectroscopy devices can provide a safer and much more conclusive way of testing unidentified substances on the scene. These devices don’t require officers to touch samples, thereby reducing their potential exposure. They can also definitively identify even tiny amounts of unknown substances – often through plastic baggies and other containers – and provide evidentiary documentation to be used in court.
One such device is the ACE-ID, manufactured by Smiths Detection, which uses Raman spectroscopy for accurate, non-destructive narcotics identification. The device is pre-loaded with a library of narcotics and cutting agents, as well as multiple fentanyl analogues, for testing and identification.
Target-ID and HazMatID Elite are handheld FTIR chemical identifiers that deliver lab-quality results in about a minute and contain libraries ranging from 2,500 chemicals to 10,000 respectively. These systems are used to identify suspected narcotics in larger quantities, commonly found during drug raids and seizures, but can also help officers during routine investigations. Both of these devices have fentanyl identification capabilities.
In addition, trace detection systems such as the IONSCAN 600 can be used to detect invisible amounts of narcotics, including fentanyl. The IONSCAN 600 is capable of detecting threats at the nanogram level; that is, if the outside of a package has trace amounts of fentanyl present, it could mean the package contains a larger quantity. Similarly, if a suspect’s hands or clothing are found to have trace amounts of narcotics, it is an indicator that that individual has been in recent possession of narcotics. To reduce the risk of fentanyl exposure, law enforcement officers can use the IONSCAN 600 to screen packages for the presence of fentanyl prior to opening them.
Taking precautions
Field testing remains a valuable tool, especially when personnel are carefully trained and appropriate safety precautions and policies are in place, such as:
- Officers must assume they will come into contact with this lethal substance and always don protective gear when they suspect they are in the presence of fentanyl. Gloves, facemasks, or even respirators may be necessary.
- Implementing an agency-wide policy that requires each officer to carry naloxone to counteract opiate overdose symptoms.
- Adopting new detection and identification technology to test substances in the field faster while also reducing potential officer exposure.
- Waiting to test suspected fentanyl substances until specifically trained personnel arrive on the scene to reduce exposure risk.
The opioid crisis doesn’t show any signs of abating. As such, law enforcement agencies should address this very real and deadly threat to officers by enacting clear and thorough substance safety protocols and adopting technologies to reduce exposure risks.
For more information, visit Smiths Detection.
