Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs Fact Sheet
EPA tasked CSS to prepare a Quick Response Guide for first responders on the dangerous drug Fentanyl.
Working Quickly to Protect the Health and Safety of First Responders During the Opioid Crisis
Early in the opioid crisis, some emergency medical technicians and police officers were hospitalized after being exposed to Fentanyl while on the job. Recognizing this emerging danger to first responders, EPA tasked CSS to prepare a Quick Response Guide on the dangerous drug. With limited published information on the health impacts of fentanyl, our staff reached out to scientists in the US and other countries. We also worked with an EPA toxicology expert to develop Provisional Advisory Levels (PALs) on fentanyl because other federal health agencies lacked updated, useable information. In just 20 weeks, CSS conducted detailed research; obtained and incorporated input from outside experts; wrote large sections of the document; assembled the first draft; presented the draft to On-scene Coordinators in EPA Regions 4 and 5; shepherded 11 subsequent drafts through reviews by all stakeholders; and coordinated with Consequence Management Advisory Division (CMAD) to publish the final 10-page Quick Response Guide on EPA’s website. We continue to update and revise the document as new information becomes available.
Additional Projects
Quick Response Guides for Emergency Response
CSS prepares tactical, field, and quick response guides used by EPA OSCs and other first responders to address a wide range of contaminants.
Biogeographic Assessment of the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI)
CSS compiled and visualized data showing the distribution of habitats and marine organisms, to establish a baseline for assessing and monitoring potential environmental impacts from renewable energy projects.
Analytical Chemistry Support for the US EPA National Aquatic Resource Survey
CSS chemically analyzes hundreds of water samples collected annually from the US EPA’s National Aquatic Resource Survey (NARS), a critical contribution to the EPA assessments of the condition of the nation’s water bodies.
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