Volume 23
May 2018 Edition
The opioid epidemic is a current and growing national security
threat that is killing tens of thousands of Americans each year
and exposing first responders to grave risk.
Detection is Key to Protecting First
Responders in the Opioid Epidemic
By Dr. Michael Frunzi and Pauline Leary, Ph.D.
The opioid epidemic has rapidly
emerged not only as a massive public
health emergency but also as a signif-
icant national security threat.
Foreign manufacture and cross-border smug-
gling of lethal drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil
is leading to domestic distribution and use that
exposes first responders to potentially life-threat-
ening contact with substances often invisible to
the naked eye.
Illustration of 2 milligrams of fentanyl, a lethal dose in most
people. (Image courtesy of the DEA)
2