As a lot as half of the fentanyl offered on Philly’s streets incorporates an industrial chemical utilized in plastics manufacturing. That’s in keeping with our November 2024 testing of fentanyl samples collected in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, considered the biggest open-air drug market on the East Coast.
What’s extra, the quantity, or focus, of this industrial chemical within the drug samples usually exceeded the quantity of fentanyl.
We’re an epidemiologist and anthropologist whose analysis focuses on substance use problems and the opioid overdose epidemic. Our workforce’s findings had been printed within the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Affiliation in February 2025.
The economic chemical we discovered known as BTMPS, which is the frequent abbreviation for bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate. BTMPS belongs to a category of molecules referred to as hindered amine mild stabilizers that producers incessantly add to plastics and different polymers to guard in opposition to degradation from warmth and daylight.
Since March 2024, our workforce has examined 228 road fentanyl samples collected in Kensington. Of those, 39 – or 17% – contained BTMPS.
We first detected BTMPS in Philadelphia in June 2024. We discovered it in two of the eight samples – 25% – that we collected that month. By November 2024, 12 of twenty-two samples – or 55% – contained BTMPS.
Why BTMPS is being added to the road opioid provide, and at what stage in manufacturing or distribution it’s being added, stays unknown.
Researchers suspect that it might be added to stabilize a fentanyl precursor chemical that’s inclined to degradation from warmth and oxygen.
Given its low value, BTMPS may additionally be added to dilute different psychoactive substances or costlier components or each.
Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia is taken into account the epicenter of town’s opioid disaster.
Spencer Platt by way of Getty Photographs
How poisonous is BTMPS?
Among the many 39 samples that contained BTMPS in Philadelphia, the common quantity of BTMPS was practically double that of fentanyl. On common, BTMPS made up 4% of the pattern, whereas fentanyl made up 2.3% of the pattern. In a single pattern examined, BTMPS made up 18% of the pattern.
BTMPS has not been accredited for human consumption or been studied in people.
Nonetheless, it has been proven in rat research to scale back nicotine use and attenuate withdrawal signs related to morphine and cocaine.
The rat research revealed a number of hostile well being results from publicity to BTMPS. They embrace coronary heart defects, critical eye injury and dying.
These findings increase issues concerning the growing publicity of BTMPS to people by road medication. The concentrations as much as 18% discovered within the Philly samples are many orders of magnitude greater than the estimated focus of 0.1% to 0.5% that persons are uncovered to by plastic merchandise.
Among the road fentanyl samples from Philadelphia contained extra BTMPS than fentanyl.
Joe Lamberti for The Washington Submit by way of Getty Photographs
BTMPS showing in fentanyl throughout the US
Our colleagues who’re testing road opioid samples in different areas additionally 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 virtually simultaneous look of a brand new adulterant in U.S. road opioids from the East Coast to the West Coast is uncommon. For instance, fentanyl, xylazine and medetomidine grew to become prevalent within the U.S. opioid provide in numerous areas at completely different instances.
The current emergence of BTMPS in road opioid markets nationwide means that it might be getting into the provision at an early stage in manufacturing or wholesale distribution.
Traditionally, Philadelphia’s road opioid provide has had robust ties to Puerto Rico. These ties influenced Philly’s early incorporation of the veterinary sedative xylazine into the road drug provide. Since 2021, xylazine has been current in nearly all of Philly’s road fentanyl.
Given these associations, we’re additionally testing the road opioid provide in Puerto Rico to look at potential similarities and relationships with Philadelphia’s provide. Up to now, now we have detected BTMPS in two out of 49 – or 4% – of road opioid samples in Puerto Rico. We first detected it in a pattern in September 2024 and once more in December 2024.
What’s subsequent
We proceed to observe BTMPS traits in Philadelphia’s road fentanyl. We’re additionally inspecting whether or not concentrations of fentanyl and different key compounds reminiscent of xylazine in Philly’s road fentanyl have modified as new adulterants reminiscent of BTMPS and medetomidine grow to be extra widespread – and whether or not these modifications play a task within the declining overdose dying charge in Pennsylvania and different elements of the U.S.
We’re additionally growing plans to check the speedy and long-term results that BTMPS publicity has on folks utilizing medication.