{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T21:28:48Z","timestamp":1793827728868,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"American Chemical Society (ACS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1793750400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":412,"URL":"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/page\/policy\/termsofuse.html"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100006108","name":"U.S. Department of Health and Human Services","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["1UL1TR002373"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1UL1TR002373"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100006108","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention","award":["NU60OE000104"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NU60OE000104"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The increasing prevalence of opioid misuse, particularly the adulteration of illicit substances with fentanyl, has heightened the need for effective field detection methods for unknown powders. First responders, including chemical emergency response and Hazardous Materials (HazMat) teams, face significant challenges in assessing chemical threats in real-time without the resources of a controlled laboratory environment. Immunoassay test strips are commonly used for drug detection and are considered potential tools for identifying fentanyl in emergency scenarios. However, the impact of common diluents (substances such as sugar, flour, and other commonplace additives) on the accuracy of these test strips is unexplored. This study evaluates the limit of detection (LOD) of a popular commercially available fentanyl test strip (FTS) in the presence of various diluents commonly found in emergency situations. The experimental LOD was determined to be 0.05 \u03bcg\/mL, significantly lower than the reported LOD of 0.20 \u03bcg\/mL. While no false positives were observed with diluents alone, the presence of diluents in fentanyl solutions altered FTS results, requiring higher concentrations of fentanyl to achieve a positive reading. Results were often difficult to interpret, particularly near the LOD, which could pose challenges for first responders in real-world scenarios. This work is the first to assess the application of FTS to chemical emergency response situations and threat assessment of unknown powders. Commercially available FTS are cost-effective, user-friendly, provide rapid results, and detect low concentrations of fentanyl even in the presence of other substances.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.chas.5c00103","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]],"date-time":"2025-09-18T13:00:14Z","timestamp":1758200414000},"page":"750-755","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["What\u2019s in\nthe Powder? Evaluating Fentanyl Test\nStrip Sensitivity to Common Household Items in Chemical Emergency\nResponse Scenarios"],"prefix":"10.1021","volume":"32","author":[{"given":"Kate Y.","family":"Mongold","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene , , 2601 Agriculture Dr. , , ,","place":["Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53718"]},{"name":"University of Wisconsin-Madison , , 1300 University Avenue , , ,","place":["Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53706"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meshel A.","family":"Lange","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene , , 2601 Agriculture Dr. , , ,","place":["Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53718"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mason","family":"Shields","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene , , 2601 Agriculture Dr. , , ,","place":["Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53718"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7997-7567","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Heather M.","family":"Barkholtz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene , , 2601 Agriculture Dr. , , ,","place":["Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53718"]},{"name":"University of Wisconsin-Madison , , 777 Highland Avenue , , ,","place":["Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53705"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"316","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit1","unstructured":"US Environmental Protection Agency.\n          \n          Emergency Response\nand Recognizing Hazardous Substance Releases. https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/emergency-response\/emergency-response-and-recognizing-hazardous-substance-releases. (accessed 2025\u201301\u201306)."},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit2","unstructured":"Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA).\n          \n          Adulterants,\nContaminants, and Co-occurring Substances in Drugs in\nCanada. https:\/\/www.ccsa.ca\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-04\/CCSA-CCENDU-Adulterants-Contaminants-Co-occurring-Substances-in-Drugs-Canada-Report-2020-en.pdf. (accessed 2024\u201312\u201323)."},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit3","first-page":"1","article-title":"Controlling\nChemical Weapons in the New International Order","volume-title":"WMD Proceedings","author":"Caves","year":"2022"},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit4","unstructured":"Fremont Police Department.\n          Fremont Police\nDepartment Drugs and Fentanyl\nAwareness Webpage. https:\/\/www.fremontpolice.gov\/crime-prevention\/drugs-and-fentanyl-awareness#:~:text=2%2D3%20milligrams%20is%20approximately,minutes%20of%20exposure%20or%20ingestion. (accessed 2025\u201301\u201306)."},{"issue":"2","key":"2026110416134461700_cit5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"260","DOI":"10.1124\/jpet.123.002040","article-title":"Progress\nand Challenges in Developing Medical Countermeasures for Chemical\nBiological, Radiological, and Nuclear Threat Agents","volume":"388","author":"Reddy","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Pharmacology Experimental Therapeutics"},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"90","DOI":"10.1016\/j.toxlet.2019.12.017","article-title":"Potent\nopioids and implications for national defense","volume":"321","author":"Gummin","year":"2020","journal-title":"Toxicol. Lett."},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit7","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).\n          \n          Fentanyl (Synthetic Opioid) Toxicity and Overdose: Medical Management\nGuidelines. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/overdose-prevention\/about\/fentanyl.html (accessed 2024\u201312\u201323)."},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit8","unstructured":"BTNX Inc.\n          BTNX Harm Reduction page. https:\/\/www.btnx.com\/Fentanyl. (accessed 2024\u201312\u201323)."},{"issue":"6","key":"2026110416134461700_cit9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"689","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jscs.2014.09.001","article-title":"Designs, Formats and Applications\nof Lateral Flow Assay: A Literature Review","volume":"19","author":"Sajid","year":"2015","journal-title":"Journal of Saudi Chemical Society"},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1186\/s12954-023-00911-w","article-title":"Assessment\nof Two Brands of Fentanyl Test Strips with\n251 Synthetic Opiods Reveals \u201cBlind Spots\u201d in Detection\nCapabilities","volume":"20","author":"Hayes","year":"2023","journal-title":"Harm Reduction Journal"},{"issue":"5","key":"2026110416134461700_cit11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.10077","article-title":"Fentanyl Test Strip\nUse and Overdose Risk Reduction Behaviors Among People Who Use Drugs","volume":"8","author":"Vickers-Smith","year":"2025","journal-title":"JAMA Network Open"},{"issue":"7","key":"2026110416134461700_cit12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1035","DOI":"10.1080\/10826084.2025.2481321","article-title":"Usability\nTesting of Five Fentanyl Test Strip Brands in Real-World Settings","volume":"60","author":"Childerhose","year":"2025","journal-title":"Substance Use & Misuse"},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2024.104588","article-title":"Use of fentanyl testi\nstrips by people who inject drugs:\nBaseline findings from the South Atlantic Fentanyl Test Strip Study\n(SAFTSS)","volume":"133","author":"Zibbell","year":"2024","journal-title":"International Journal of Drug Policy"},{"issue":"3","key":"2026110416134461700_cit14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"240","DOI":"10.1177\/10775587251316919","article-title":"Impact of Fentanyl Test Strips as\nHarm Reduction for Drug Related Mortality","volume":"82","author":"Bhai","year":"2025","journal-title":"Med.\nCare Res. Rev."},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"740","DOI":"10.17269\/s41997-018-0126-6","article-title":"Drug checking at an electronic dance\nmusic festival\nduring the public health overdose emergency in British Columbia","volume":"109","author":"Mema","year":"2018","journal-title":"Canadian Journal of Public Health"},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2023.104102","article-title":"Evaluation of Fentanyl Immunoassay\nTest Strips for\nRapid In-Situ Detection of Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs in Seized\nSamples and Alternative Matrices","volume":"118","author":"Norman","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. J. Drug\nPolicy"},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2020.103065","article-title":"Selectivity and Sensitivity of Urine Fentanyl Test\nStrips to Detect Fentanyl Analogues in Illicit Drugs","volume":"77","author":"Skov-Skov Bergh","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Drug Policy"},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-4165790\/v1","article-title":"Analytical performance\nand visual evaluation of test strips for fentanyl, ver 1","author":"Wu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Res. Sq."},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit19","first-page":"81","article-title":"Bioanalytical\nRequirements and Regulatory Guidelines for Immunoassays","volume-title":"Handbook of Immunoassay Technology","author":"Luong","year":"2018"},{"key":"2026110416134461700_cit20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1186\/s12954-023-00921-8","article-title":"Testing the Test Strips: Laboratory\nPerformance of Fentanyl Test Strips","volume":"21","author":"Halifax","year":"2024","journal-title":"Harm Reduction\nJournal"}],"container-title":["ACS Chemical Health &amp;\nSafety"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1021\/acs.chas.5c00103","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"unspecified"},{"URL":"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/achsc5\/article-pdf\/32\/6\/750\/69086233\/acs.chas.5c00103.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/achsc5\/article-pdf\/32\/6\/750\/69086233\/acs.chas.5c00103.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T21:23:16Z","timestamp":1793827396000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/achsc5\/article\/32\/6\/750\/3653134\/What-s-in-the-Powder-Evaluating-Fentanyl-Test"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]]},"references-count":20,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acs.chas.5c00103","relation":{},"ISSN":["1871-5532","1878-0504"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1871-5532","type":"print"},{"value":"1878-0504","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]]}}}