ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 6

A Fentanyl Epidemic in Maryland 1992
Jenkins, AJ
Chief Medical Examiner, Toxicologist, Chemist, and Assistant Toxicologist, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, MD

Levine, B
Chief Medical Examiner, Toxicologist, Chemist, and Assistant Toxicologist, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, MD

Smialek, JE
Chief Medical Examiner, Toxicologist, Chemist, and Assistant Toxicologist, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, MD

Chin, L
Medical Epidemiologist, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, MD

Wu, SC
Medical Epidemiologist, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, MD

(Received 3 May 1993; accepted 1 June 1993)

Abstract

In early 1992, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, encountered 30 cases where fentanyl was identified in the postmortem specimens. Twenty-five of the decedents were found in Baltimore City and five were found in the surrounding counties. Four of the decedents were female and eight of the victims were white. The blood fentanyl concentrations ranged from 2.2 to 100 µg/L. Ethanol and other abused drugs were detected in 28 of these cases. The cause of death in all cases was ethanol-, drug intoxication, or both.

Keywords:
toxicology, fentanyl, epidemic, chromatographic analysis, chemical analysis

Paper ID: JFS13581J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13581J
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