Detection and Decontamination of Illicit Fentanyl Contamination

Monday, March 08, 2021: 3:25 PM - 3:45 PM

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Description

Use of the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogs (fentanyls) is on the rise in the US, driving an epidemic of overdose-related deaths. As availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl increases in the United States, more locations can be contaminated through the synthesis, mixing, and preparation for use. Methods for collecting, identifying, quantitating, and decontaminating fentanyls on surfaces are needed to ensure worker and public health safety stemming from contaminated or potentially contaminated locations. This research focused on the development of field-deployable lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) for near-real time detection of fentanyls, utilization of surface wipes with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) quantitation of fentanyl contamination, optimized decontamination of fentanyls, and management of liquid decontamination wastes. Sensitive LFIAs were developed using aptamers with either high specificity to a target fentanyl analogue or generalized specificity to several fentanyl analogues. The surface wiping technique with LC-MS/MS quantitation was optimized and validated for collection of 17 fentanyls and 11 commonly encountered adulterants from 11 common household surfaces. Decontamination techniques examined 9 decontamination agents for their capability to degrade fentanyl. Further, the decontamination research examined the impact of several adulterants on the degradation process.

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Additional Info

Keywords: Please select up to 4 keywords ONLY:
Chromatography - Other,Immunoassay,Method Development,Homeland Defense