Fentanyl abuse is on the rise. Hardly a week goes by without another report on overdoses or accidental exposure. Synthetic opioid analgesics, like fentanyl, are 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine.
Used in the illegal drug market, they endanger more than just users. First responders, public service employees, and forensic lab technicians are just a few of those at risk of accidental exposure.
Basic Safety Practices Are Not Enough
Gloves, dust masks, and safety glasses are all good baseline safety measures that help protect against fentanyl exposure. However, high demand for fentanyl has led to new strains that are both more potent and resistant to the overdose cure naloxone.
More stringent safety methods are therefore needed during the analysis or bagging of suspicious evidence.
Learn How to Better Protect Yourself and Your Personnel