Toxicology

A new study led by Thomas Jefferson University researchers has found that American currency carries much more than germs on its surface. The study used a new method of analysis to examine one-dollar bills collected from 13 cities across the U.S. Fentanyl, a potent opioid, was detected on 63% of the bills, shedding light on the widespread presence of this dangerous substance in everyday transactions. read more

Because drugs remain in strands of hair for months longer than they do in the bloodstream, drug tests based on hair are more robust across time and can provide evidence of drug use in the more distant past. The challenge is differentiating whether a drug is present due to drug use or environmental contamination. read more

Stakeholders in Brazil are growing increasingly concerned over pollution and waterway contamination caused by cocaine. Researchers discovered in 2017 cocaine and other substances derived from medicines in surface water in the Bay of Santos may be causing biological effects in environmentally relevant concentrations. read more

Drug experts believe pFF is added to fentanyl to increase total drug volume for distribution, to dilute the drug being cut and to enhance the pharmacological effect. read more

Nasal-administered naloxone is more cost-effective and could help reduce the number of opioid-related fatalities compared to the current publicly funded intermuscular version, a new study has found. read more