New sniff technology could protect police from harmful opioids

A scientist based in Washington DC has unveiled new tech that could make detecting opioids a much safer process.

It’s no secret that the United States has many deaths attributed to heroin use, as well as its many spin-offs. However, it transpires that it’s not only drug users who put themselves in harm’s way. With more and more new synthetic opioids making their way into the underground drug trade, officers and responders to those who have overdosed are also in danger.

A police officer in Ohio accidentally overdosed on carfentanil after brushing a small amount from his shirt following a vehicle search where the powder had been dumped on the carpet. A similar incident occurred in Maryland, where a police offer was met with a fatal mix of heroin and other compounds when searching a nightstand drawer. The drugs being located have proved to be so fatal, that even sniffer dogs are supplied with first-aid kits in case they are poisoned by the narcotics found.

Much of the issue comes down to identifying the drug. What could be heroin can sometimes turn out to be horse tranquilizer, and with more lethal cocktails doing the rounds, a solution has to be put in place that doesn’t endanger police officers, their sniffer dogs, or other responders to an incident.

Fortunately, chemist Edward Cisco, based in a University just outside Washington, has discovered two alternative ways of establishing what kind of powder is being dealt with. Thermal desorption direct analysis is a real-time mass spectrometry which is deployed via the use of machine that costs around $35,000. The first process uses a swab of the chemical, which is then heated into a gas. An electrical charge is then used which allows scientists to discover the shape and size of the molecule. As the machine in question is akin to the size and weight of a washing machine, it should come as no surprise that the device is not as mobile as law enforcers would like, and therefore cannot be used when calling at every incident.

The second process is known as mobility spectrometry and also starts with a swab, but the apparatus used is much smaller, comparable to the size of a microwave. However, the machine is unable to detect every batch of fentanyl analog, as the ingredients can vary, depending on where the drug was manufactured.

As such, the thermal desorption direct analysis approach is more reliable, and even though a bigger machine is required, it does allow police stations and airports to house the unit, depending as to whether the relevant authority has the budget for such a machine.

There are also plans for researcher to launch more mobile versions of the thermal desorption direct analysis, as well as other gadgets that could be attached to robot, which would then enter the property to ascertain as to whether fentanyl is present or not.

DEA spokesman Melvin Patterson stated that currently, there is no clear line on how to deal with the discovery of fentanyl, with the only current advice being to take precaution.