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High levels of an industrial chemical have been found in the illicit fentanyl supply in the United States, according to new research.
The chemical, BTMPS, is used as an adhesive in the production of plastics, CNN reports. It protects plastics from UV light. Researchers at Drug Checking Los Angeles at UCLA tested samples from nine community-based drug-checking programs across the country. They found BTMPS in the fentanyl supply at all nine locations over four months.
In most cases, the researchers found more BTMPS than fentanyl in the product, with an average percentage by mass of 8.6%. Some samples contained more than 56% BTMPS by mass.
While research on the effects of BTMPS on humans is limited, animal studies indicate it produces health consequences such as skin irritation, cardiotoxicity, reproductive defects, blurry vision and in some cases death, the article notes. It may also cause lung damage since BTMPS can be inhaled.
“The fact that it’s there, it’s such a large amount, sometimes tells me that it’s being added … not just leeching in from the plastics they use to make the fentanyl,” said Dr. Chelsea Shover, lead author of the study.
Published
February 2025