The symposium will highlight and discuss the field challenges of fentanyl analogues in the field by the new federal regulations.  In March 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration added five new fentanyl related substances permanently in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, specifically to the opiates list under its regulations. However, a field detection of these fentanyl analogues becomes a new challenge due to three factors: (1) These potent synthetic opioids have become a new threat to public health with their growing epidemic abuse and addiction in many urban areas where criminal and medical incidents often occur.  (2) Crime scene technicians/police officers, emergency personnel, and public health workers arriving the scene usually have no prior knowledge that the scene may contain these potent substances.  (3) Therefore, a portable device for rapid, in-field, and <i>in-situ</i> detection and identification are much needed.  With a portable device of Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS), seven fentanyl analogues were selected under a purposive sampling with a quasi-experimental design.   Several practical features can be observed under the examination: a) Just a simple and direct sample-wipe for collection is required, b) Only a fine sample is needed (10~50 nanograms), c) A rapid result is displayed on the LED screen (1 minutes), and d) An <i>in-situ</i> collection is possible for the safety reason.  In sum, the IMS device was able to successfully detect six out of the seven fentanyl analogues.  The results of the study suggest that this novel portable IMS can be a practical tool to safely detect and identify the targeting illicit fentanyl analogues in the field.

Detecting fentanyl analogues by ion mobility spectrometer: A new field approach for law enforcement personnel and public health workers

ACS Fall 2021

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