Latest news with #BTMPS
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Industrial chemical found in Erie Co. street drugs, says DA's office
Last week, we reported on a dangerous chemical used in plastic coating for UV light protection being found in street drugs in western Pennsylvania. On Friday, we had confirmation that the substance has been found in drugs right here in Erie County. Teen drivers enter 100 deadliest days, risk of fatal crashes increased The chemical known as BTMPS was discovered by the Erie County DA Drug Task Force in March. A search warrant in April resulted in the seizure of several hundred grams of those pills from a local narcotics dealer. Erie Fire Dept. station slightly damaged during car accident that sent one to hospital 'This can definitely be a wake-up call. A lot of people have this false belief or security blanket type of idea that their drug trafficker is their friend. Unfortunately, this couldn't be further from the truth. This is more proof than we've ever had before that people that manufacture drugs illegally and illicitly, people that transact drugs illegally and illicitly, do not have their users' best interest in mind,' said Dr. Amy Gallaher Miles, D.O., osteopathic medicine and an addiction medicine specialist at UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor. For a deeper look into the substance being found locally, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Erie law enforcement warning of new deadly chemical found in street drugs
A new industrial-grade chemical, BTMPS, also known as Tinuvin 770, has been found in street drugs in Western Pennsylvania, prompting the Erie County District Attorney's Office to raise awareness about its dangers. The chemical, typically used as a protective coating on plastics, is reportedly being used as a cutting agent in fentanyl. Erie realtor hosting remodeling sweepstakes benefitting local nonprofits 'Fentanyl is an already dangerous drug. These additives, these cutting agents that they're putting into it, are making an extremely deadly drug even more deadly,' said Rick Lorah, Deputy Chief of the Erie Police Department. Tinuvin 770 is categorized as both corrosive and a health hazard. According to the American College of Medical Toxicology, ingestion of the chemical can lead to infertility, damage to unborn children, serious skin irritation, and vision damage. Drug task forces and experts believe that Tinuvin is being used as a filler in fentanyl because it is a cheap, white powder. This has raised concerns about its impact on overdose reversal efforts, as the substance has been shown to prevent the effectiveness of Narcan. Rick Lorah noted that Erie's role in the drug chain has evolved, with drugs now coming from the southern border instead of through traditional routes like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo. He also mentioned that much of the fentanyl has been traced back to China. Local, state, and federal agencies, including the EAGLE task force, are actively working to remove these dangerous drugs from the streets. Lorah highlighted that fentanyl was a major factor in recent drug busts and arrests, underscoring the nationwide scope of the problem. The presence of Tinuvin 770 in street drugs was first noted in August of last year and has since been found in 14 different states across the country. Erie students launch weather balloon after months of work The discovery of Tinuvin 770 in street drugs highlights the ongoing challenges law enforcement faces in combating the opioid crisis. Efforts to address this issue continue at multiple levels, with authorities striving to mitigate the impact of these dangerous substances on communities. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WJET/WFXP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WJET/WFXP staff before being published. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Medetomidine is replacing xylazine in Philly street fentanyl − creating new hurdles for health care providers and drug users
Philadelphia's street opioid supply – or 'dope' market – is constantly changing. As health care workers and researchers who care for people who use drugs in our community, we have witnessed these shifts firsthand. New adulterants are frequently added to the mix. They bring additional and often uncertain risks for people who use drugs, and new challenges for the health care providers and systems who treat them. The latest adulterant to dominate the supply is medetomidine. Medetomidine, pronounced meh-deh-TOH-muh-deen, is a drug used in veterinary medicine for sedation, muscle relaxation and pain relief, often during surgery. It is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, which essentially means it works by slowing the release of adrenaline in the brain and body. In May 2024, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office began testing for medetomidine in people who died from fatal overdoses. By the end of the year, 46 of the deceased had tested positive for the substance, in addition to fentanyl and other known chemicals. In fact, medetomidine is quickly becoming more common in Philadelphia's street opioid supply than even xylazine, a non-FDA-approved sedative linked to skin ulceration, chronic wounds and amputation. Xylazine was first detected in Philadelphia street drugs in 2006 and became increasingly common starting in 2015. By early 2023, xylazine was detected in 98% of tested dope samples in the city. However, its presence is steadily dropping, according to local drug-checking program data. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health says medetomidine has emerged as a primary adulterant and is now twice as common as xylazine in drug-checked samples. Recent studies show even more unusual substances entering the street fentanyl supply, such as the industrial solvent BTMPS. At the same time, hospital and behavioral health providers are reporting more common presentations of severe withdrawal symptoms among people who use drugs in Philadelphia. While medetomidine's sedating effects are similar in mechanism to xylazine, it is upward of 10-20 times more potent. It suppresses brain signals in the central nervous system, leading to deep sedation. Since medetomidine is so powerful and does not act on opioid receptors, a person who overdoses on it often does not respond to the opioid-reversal drug naloxone, which goes by the brand name Narcan, in the manner we commonly expect from people who appear to have overdosed on opioids. When patients overdose on a combination of opioids and medetomidine, providing naloxone will help individuals start breathing again but does not reverse the sedation caused by the medetomidine. From our clinical experience, after patients start to breathe normally, providing additional doses of naloxone does not seem to help and even risks prompting opioid withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, medetomidine presents serious clinical challenges for health care workers treating patients in withdrawal. These patients often experience symptoms such as rapid heart rate, severe spikes in blood pressure, restlessness, disorientation and confusion, and severe vomiting. While many of these symptoms were similar, if less intense, for those withdrawing from opioids and xylazine, the number of patients we are seeing is unprecedented – as is the severity of their symptoms. While published data on humans' withdrawal from medetomidine is limited, clinicians are drawing comparisons to dexmedetomidine, a related drug used in humans that has shown similar features when withdrawn too quickly. Researchers and clinicians in Philadelphia's hospitals, including us at Thomas Jefferson University, are analyzing emerging clinical data. This data suggests that existing protocols that effectively controlled withdrawal symptoms in the era when xylazine was common are no longer adequate in the era of medetomidine. New protocols have been developed based on the guidance of local experts and are being tested. The rise in severe withdrawal symptoms has prompted expanded testing for adulterants such as medetomidine in Jefferson's emergency departments. Currently, drug testing involves two primary approaches. Qualitative analysis determines the presence or absence of substances. For example, fentanyl and xylazine test strips are commonly used by harm reduction groups and people who use drugs. Unfortunately, they can be unreliable and prone to user error, expiration, misinterpretation and false positives or negatives. This technology is also commonly used in urine drug-testing kits sold over the counter. Quantitative analysis, on the other hand, is a more sophisticated approach to drug testing. It uses complex technology such as liquid-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry to separate the individual components of a sample and determine their concentration. This form of testing is more expensive and requires specialized equipment and analysts to perform the tests and interpret the results. Hospitals in the city have begun selectively testing urine and blood samples from patients who present with suspected medetomidine exposure. The labs are looking for the presence of certain drugs and their related byproducts, and also trying to identify distinct concentrations that might be associated with overdose, intoxication and withdrawal. We believe Philadelphians should be aware of these recent changes in the street drug supply and how people in their communities may react to exposure to medetomidine. Naloxone is still recommended for a person showing signs of opioid overdose – such as excess sedation, shallow or absent breathing and small pupils. Narcan is freely available at pharmacies around the city. But if the patient starts breathing but does not immediately wake up, additional doses of naloxone should be avoided. As always, contact 911 for expert assistance and to get patients to an emergency department to complete their care. Patients who use large amounts of drugs may suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms. Typical medications given to those in opioid withdrawal, such as buprenorphine or methadone, may not be sufficient to treat this constellation of symptoms. Even medications and regimens tailored for xylazine may not be effective. Patients with severe withdrawal symptoms need to be seen in the emergency department, given the risk of undertreating this emerging condition. Read more of our stories about Philadelphia. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Kory London, Thomas Jefferson University and Karen Alexander, Thomas Jefferson University Read more: Philly hospitals test new strategy for 'tranq dope' withdrawal – and it keeps patients from walking out before their treatment is done Philly's street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that's an ingredient in plastic How opioid deaths tripled in Philly over a decade − and what may be behind a recent downturn Kory London receives funding from The Sheller Family Foundation. Karen Alexander receives funding from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Axios
19-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
An industrial chemical is creeping into Philly's fentanyl supply
An industrial chemical used to produce plastics has infiltrated Philadelphia's fentanyl supply, researchers say. Why it matters: Public health experts worry about the potential consequences for anybody ingesting BTMPS-cut fentanyl. While the chemical's health effects on humans aren't known, studies using rats have shown it can cause heart defects, lung damage, blurry vision and death. Driving the news: About 17% of fentanyl samples collected in Kensington, one of the East Coast's biggest open-air drug markets, over a four-month period last year contained BTMPS — shorthand for an industrial chemical that's often added to plastics and other polymers, Columbia University researchers found. Plastic manufacturers typically add BTMPS to protect their products against heat and sunlight. The intrigue: The average sample contained about twice as much BTMPS as fentanyl (4% compared to 2.3%), with one containing 18% BTMPS — far exceeding levels people are normally exposed to from plastic products, per the study published last month. Flashback: Philly health officials put out a warning late last year after BTMPS was discovered in the Philly drug supply, saying it's still unclear whether the chemical increases the likelihood of overdoses. Philly officials said BTMPS was initially discovered last June in about a quarter of their samples, but by November, that number had jumped to 55%. People who have reported smoking BTMPS-laced fentanyl said it smelled like bug spray, while those who've injected it said it burned, per the city. Additional observed effects include ringing ears, blurred vision and a bloody cough. By the numbers: Philly had more than 1,300 overdose deaths in 2023, fueled largely by opioids, including synthetic fentanyl. They were down 7% from 2022, the first decline in five years. The animal tranquilizer xylazine has also increasingly infiltrated the city's illegal heroin market over the past few years, which has been linked to overdoses. Zoom out: The findings, published in JAMA, are part of a larger study by a team of researchers who tested samples from nine sites in California, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Washington and Puerto Rico. BTMPS was found in all locations, typically in greater amounts than fentanyl. What they're saying: The same drug additive rarely appears simultaneously in the U.S. drug supply, Columbia researchers Karli Hochstatter and Fernando Montero write. That means it's likely BTMPS is being used to manufacture fentanyl rather than just being added to the drug supply as a cutting agent. Savage Sisters, a Kensington-based recovery nonprofit that helped local researchers obtain drug samples, was first warned of BTMPS from other harm reductionist groups across the U.S., executive director Sarah Laurel tells Axios. After finding traces of BTMPS here, Savage Sisters talked to Philly's street dealers who had "no idea what we were talking about," Laurel tells Axios. "We're all talking through this together: Is it something that's being adulterated into the supply? Was it being added to the bricks to preserve it through the trafficking spaces?" Laurel says. The latest: Philly police have only detected two cases of BTMPS in 2025, Nicole Martin, chemistry lab manager at the city's Office of Forensic Science, tells Axios. But officials acknowledge numbers could be skewed since BTMPS isn't currently a controlled substance, so suspected drug samples aren't specifically tested for the chemical. Philly's forensic team says identifying new drug trends is a game of whack-a-mole, with dealers always looking to stay ahead of authorities.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Philly's street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that's an ingredient in plastic
As much as half of the fentanyl sold on Philly's streets contains an industrial chemical used in plastics manufacturing. That's according to our November 2024 testing of fentanyl samples collected in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, regarded as the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast. What's more, the amount, or concentration, of this industrial chemical in the drug samples often exceeded the amount of fentanyl. We are an epidemiologist and anthropologist whose research focuses on substance use disorders and the opioid overdose epidemic. Our team's findings were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association in February 2025. The industrial chemical we found is called BTMPS, which is the common abbreviation for bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate. BTMPS belongs to a class of molecules called hindered amine light stabilizers that manufacturers frequently add to plastics and other polymers to protect against degradation from heat and sunlight. Since March 2024, our team has tested 228 street fentanyl samples collected in Kensington. Of these, 39 – or 17% – contained BTMPS. We first detected BTMPS in Philadelphia in June 2024. We found it in two of the eight samples – 25% – that we collected that month. By November 2024, 12 of 22 samples – or 55% – contained BTMPS. Why BTMPS is being added to the street opioid supply, and at what stage in production or distribution it is being added, remains unknown. Researchers suspect that it may be added to stabilize a fentanyl precursor chemical that is susceptible to degradation from heat and oxygen. Given its low cost, BTMPS may also be added to dilute other psychoactive substances or more expensive ingredients or both. Among the 39 samples that contained BTMPS in Philadelphia, the average amount of BTMPS was nearly double that of fentanyl. On average, BTMPS made up 4% of the sample, while fentanyl made up 2.3% of the sample. In one sample tested, BTMPS made up 18% of the sample. BTMPS has not been approved for human consumption or been studied in humans. However, it has been shown in rat studies to reduce nicotine use and attenuate withdrawal symptoms associated with morphine and cocaine. The rat studies revealed several adverse health effects from exposure to BTMPS. They include heart defects, serious eye damage and death. These findings raise concerns about the increasing exposure of BTMPS to humans through street drugs. The concentrations up to 18% found in the Philly samples are many orders of magnitude higher than the estimated concentration of 0.1% to 0.5% that people are exposed to through plastic products. Our colleagues who are testing street opioid samples in other regions also detected BTMPS in fentanyl samples or paraphernalia residue in Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Washington and California. In Los Angeles, BTMPS was first detected in July 2024 – by September, 56% of samples there contained it. The sudden and almost simultaneous appearance of a new adulterant in U.S. street opioids from the East Coast to the West Coast is rare. For example, fentanyl, xylazine and medetomidine became prevalent in the U.S. opioid supply in different regions at different times. The recent emergence of BTMPS in street opioid markets nationwide suggests that it may be entering the supply at an early stage in production or wholesale distribution. Historically, Philadelphia's street opioid supply has had strong ties to Puerto Rico. These ties influenced Philly's early incorporation of the veterinary sedative xylazine into the street drug supply. Since 2021, xylazine has been present in virtually all of Philly's street fentanyl. Given these associations, we are also testing the street opioid supply in Puerto Rico to examine potential similarities and relationships with Philadelphia's supply. To date, we have detected BTMPS in two out of 49 – or 4% – of street opioid samples in Puerto Rico. We first detected it in a sample in September 2024 and again in December 2024. We continue to monitor BTMPS trends in Philadelphia's street fentanyl. We are also examining whether concentrations of fentanyl and other key compounds such as xylazine in Philly's street fentanyl have changed as new adulterants such as BTMPS and medetomidine become more widespread – and whether these changes play a role in the declining overdose death rate in Pennsylvania and other parts of the U.S. We are also developing plans to study the immediate and long-term effects that BTMPS exposure has on people using drugs. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Karli Hochstatter, Columbia University and Fernando Montero, Columbia University Read more: How opioid deaths tripled in Philly over a decade − and what may be behind a recent downturn Philly hospitals test new strategy for 'tranq dope' withdrawal – and it keeps patients from walking out before their treatment is done Xylazine wounds are a growing crisis among drug users in Philly − a nurse explains potential causes and proper treatment Karli Hochstatter receives funding from the NIH. Fernando Montero receives funding from the NIH, the Social Intervention Group at Columbia University, and the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (CDUHR) at New York University.
