(Press-News.org) Now that smoking has replaced injecting as the most common way to consume fentanyl, UCSF researchers have uncovered an increased risk of fatal overdose from the residue that accumulates in smoking equipment.
The researchers found that people both shared fentanyl resin and consumed it accidentally. This may be increasing the risk of overdose, especially among those who use the equipment to smoke other drugs, like methamphetamine, and have not developed tolerance to opioids like fentanyl.
“The risk of overdose when sharing smoking devices with fentanyl resin could be seen as analogous to the risk of shared injection paraphernalia and HIV transmission,” said Daniel Ciccarone, MD, MPH, Justine Miner Professor of Addiction Medicine at UC San Francisco in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, who is the first author of the paper. “Harm reduction-based and culturally attuned education campaigns need to be rapidly advanced to address this new risk.”
The paper is the first to explore fentanyl resin as a key contributor to overdose and appears May 22, 2024, in PLOS ONE.
Smoking fentanyl is rising locally and nationally
San Francisco reached an all-time of 806 deaths in 2023, with 653 from fentanyl. Nationwide, the number of fentanyl deaths declined modestly in 2023, dropping from 76,226 to 74,702; but they remain high, and fatal overdoses from psychostimulants, including methamphetamine and cocaine, are on the rise.
In recent years, mirroring national trends, fewer people in San Francisco have been injecting fentanyl and more have been smoking it. But the beliefs and behaviors surrounding this development have not been well understood to date.
To conduct the study, the researchers observed people in their own environment in 2022, conducting face-to-face interviews with 34 participants who were recruited from syringe service programs. They asked about the progression of the participants’ substance use, as well as their modes of use, experiences with overdose, and the changes they had observed in the local drug supply. The interviews were supplemented with daily field notes, video-recorded smoking sequences, and photography of drugs and equipment.
The researchers observed that fentanyl was extremely cheap, as low as $10 a gram; and most people used foil to smoke it, although glass bubbles, bongs, and dabbing devices also were popular. The quality of the fentanyl varied, and people had no apparent method to determine it. Participants could gauge potency upon inhalation, however, and they had developed techniques to regulate their dose. Several participants reported frequent use, up to one or more grams a day.
Shared equipment poses significant dangers
It was both the difficulty of injecting and the fear of overdose that motivated people to start smoking fentanyl instead. Smoking was also more social, and people shared equipment, drugs, and information. The researchers were surprised to find that this caused participants to reflect on the changing risk environment for people with varying opioid tolerances and to develop strategies to protect others.
Early during fieldwork, the researchers observed an interaction in which a random person attempted to borrow a glass pipe from a participant, who vehemently refused. The participant explained that the pipe had been used for fentanyl and did not want to share it with someone who only used methamphetamine. Smoked fentanyl and methamphetamine residues look similar, and the equipment used often overlaps.
“The overdose risk arises when there is a potential mismatch between the potency of the residual drug and the recipient’s tolerance,” Ciccarone explained.
While some participants took precautions to prevent others from using their smoking equipment and overdosing on the residues, the shared smoking culture still poses increased risks, particularly given high consumption rates.
“This highlights the need for data that can inform harm reduction education that is understanding of and responsive to the perceptions of people who use opioids,” Ciccarone said. “Pacing, increasing awareness of dosages consumed, and checking tolerance of residue recipients are potentially viable interventions deserving further exploration.”
END
Smoking fentanyl, rising in SF, is a deadly new risk for overdose
As smoking becomes more common than injection, users face mounting dangers from the residue in smoking equipment.
2024-05-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
3,500-year-old Mycenaean armor was suitable for extended battle - study
2024-05-22
A 3,500-year-old suit of Mycenaean armour may have been used in battle - and not just for ceremonial purposes as previously thought – new research reveals.
Researchers worked with a group of Greek military volunteers who wore a replica of the Dendra armour during extended simulations of the rigours of battle.
One of the best and most complete examples of Mycenaean-era full-body armour, the bronze panoply was discovered in a tomb in the Greek village of Dendra, by Greek and Swedish archaeologists in the 1960s. But since its discovery, the question has remained ...
Charité study in Nature: How cells deal with extra chromosomes
2024-05-22
Having extra chromosomes is typically an issue for an organism and can disrupt development or cause disease. But some cells benefit instead: For example, cancer cells or pathogenic yeasts can use extra chromosomes to escape treatment and become drug-resistant. A team of researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin has now deciphered how yeasts manage to compensate for the genetic imbalance. Their findings, published in the journal Nature,* could yield new approaches to dealing ...
SwRI highlights NEXTCAR II project innovations at 2024 ARPA-E Innovation Summit
2024-05-22
SAN ANTONIO — May 22, 2024 — Southwest Research Institute will share the latest developments from its ongoing NEXTCAR Phase II project at the 2024 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Dallas (May 22-24). The Institute’s NEXTCAR Program aims to reduce vehicular energy consumption by more than 30% using next generation connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology.
“We are demonstrating real-world next-generation automated driving technology that puts SwRI’s ongoing NEXTCAR energy efficiency research into practice,” said SwRI’s Scott R. Hotz, P.E., director of the Powertrain ...
The role of three-dimensional power doppler for detecting ovarian cancer in adnexal masses
2024-05-22
Background and Aims
Three-dimensional power Doppler (3DPD) ultrasound has been used for assessing adnexal masses, and in this study, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate its role in the differential diagnosis of adnexal masses.
Methods
A search for primary studies assessing the diagnostic performance of 3DPD in discriminating benign from malignant masses carried out between January 1990 and May 2023 was performed in Medline (PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science databases with study quality evaluated ...
Sewage overflows linked to increase in gastrointestinal illnesses
2024-05-22
EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. EST Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Contact:
Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu
Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu
##
During extreme rain or rapid snowmelt, the high volume of water that enters sewer systems can cause untreated sewage to flow into waterways in US cities that have combined wastewater and stormwater sewer systems, including the Merrimack River in Massachusetts.
A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers has found that residents living in the downstream communities that ...
Promethium bound: Rare earth element’s secrets exposed
2024-05-22
Scientists have uncovered the properties of a rare earth element that was first discovered 80 years ago at the very same laboratory, opening a new pathway for the exploration of elements critical in modern technology, from medicine to space travel.
Promethium was discovered in 1945 at Clinton Laboratories, now the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and continues to be produced at ORNL in minute quantities. Some of its properties have remained elusive despite the rare earth element’s ...
New AI accurately predicts fly behavior
2024-05-22
We’ve been told, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Well, windows work two ways. Our eyes are also our windows to the world. What we see and how we see it help determine how we move through the world. In other words, our vision helps guide our actions, including social behaviors. Now, a young Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientist has uncovered a major clue into how this works. He did it by building a special AI model of the common fruit fly brain.
CSHL Assistant Professor Benjamin Cowley and his team honed their AI model through a technique they developed called “knockout training.” ...
Study: Under extreme impacts, metals get stronger when heated
2024-05-22
Metals get softer when they are heated, which is how blacksmiths can form iron into complex shapes by heating it red hot. And anyone who compares a copper wire with a steel coat hanger will quickly discern that copper is much more pliable than steel.
But scientists at MIT have discovered that when metal is struck by an object moving at a super high velocity, the opposite happens: The hotter the metal, the stronger it is. Under those conditions, which put extreme stress on the metal, copper can actually be just ...
Firearm Homicide Demographics Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
2024-05-22
About The Study: In this study, death by firearm homicide was concentrated among Black individuals ages 15 to 24 before, during, and subsequent to the COVID-19 pandemic, implying that there are likely to be social and structural conditions that contribute to these racial disparities.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Alex R. Piquero, Ph.D., email axp1954@miami.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.12946)
Editor’s ...
Transmission of mental disorders in adolescent peer networks
2024-05-22
About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that mental disorders might be transmitted within adolescent peer networks. More research is required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the possible transmission of mental disorders.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jussi Alho, Ph.D., email jussi.alho@helsinki.fi.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.1126)
Editor’s Note: Please see the article ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Eco-friendly biomass pretreatment method yields efficient biofuels and adsorbents
How graph convolutions amplify popularity bias for recommendation?
New lignin-based hydrogel breakthrough for wound healing and controlled drug release
Enhancing compatibility and biodegradability of PLA/biomass composites via forest residue torrefaction
Time alone heightens ‘threat alert’ in teenagers – even when connecting on social media
Study challenges long-held theories on how migratory birds navigate
Unlocking the secrets of ketosis
AI analysis of PET/CT images can predict side effects of immunotherapy in lung cancer
Making an impact. Research studies a new side of helmet safety: faceguard failures
Specific long term condition combinations have major role in NHS ‘winter pressures’
Men often struggle with transition to fatherhood amid lack of targeted information and support
More green space linked to fewer preventable deaths in most deprived areas of UK
Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma
A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our Universe and beyond
Could a genetic flaw be the key to stopping people craving sugary treats?
Experts urge complex systems approach to assess A.I. risks
Fossil fuel CO2 emissions increase again in 2024
Winners of Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2024 announced
A toolkit for unraveling the links between intimate partner violence, trauma and substance misuse
Can everyday physical activity improve cognitive health in middle age?
Updated guidance reaffirms CPR with breaths essential for cardiac arrest following drowning
Study reveals medical boards rarely discipline physician misinformation
New treatment helps children with rare spinal condition regain ability to walk
'Grow Your Own' teacher prep pipeline at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette funded by US Department of Education
Lab-grown human immune system uncovers weakened response in cancer patients
More than 5 million Americans would be eligible for psychedelic therapy, study finds
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers find community health workers play critical role in coordinating asthma care across home, school and community
Comprehensive Genomic Profiling leads to better patient outcomes, new joint study says
Animated movie characters with strabismus are more likely to be villains, study finds
How retailers change ordering strategy when a supplier starts its own direct channel
[Press-News.org] Smoking fentanyl, rising in SF, is a deadly new risk for overdoseAs smoking becomes more common than injection, users face mounting dangers from the residue in smoking equipment.