Decontamination options for indoor surfaces contaminated with realistic fentanyl preparations

The significant increase in illegal use of the synthetic opioid fentanyl is leading to unintentional overdose fatalities. Spills of fentanyl where it is abused or prepared for illegal distribution can result in persistent contamination of areas. Remediation can be attempted through physical removal but may benefit greatly from application of decontamination solutions that provide in-situ degradation of fentanyl. This work investigates the efficacy of decontamination technologies for degradation of fentanyl-HCl on indoor surfaces. Decontamination studies were conducted to evaluate the oxidative degradation of fentanyl based on percarbonate, hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, and chlorine (bleach) chemistries. This study utilized an experimental design relevant to field operations to provide direct information to first or hazardous materials responders and providers of environmental fentanyl remediation services, who may otherwise rely on unverified approaches. Across a range of nonporous indoor surfaces, results suggest that water (with or without detergent) spraying alone can physically remove 70-90% of fentanyl (with all fentanyl recovered in runoff). In nearly all cases, the spray application of peracetic acid or acetified bleach oxidants resulted in statistically significant degradation of fentanyl (>95% reduction), with noticeably lower efficacy for other oxidants (e.g., pH neutral bleach and OxiClean™). The decontamination efficacy was significantly reduced upon the addition of cutting agents that competed for oxidant demand.