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Public health officials and law enforcement agents are facing a growing challenge in combating the fentanyl epidemic: They lack detailed and timely information on the harmful and potentially deadly substances, including anesthetics, industrial chemicals, veterinary sedatives and other adulterants, that drug suppliers increasingly mix into the illicit fentanyl supply.

Now, a new study from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reveals how the prevalence of these adulterants changes over time and across different regions of the country. NIST chemist Edward Sisco and his colleagues base their findings, reported in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, on an analysis of 4,563 samples of drug residues collected nationwide between January 2024 and June 2026. The team relied on a technology that identifies trace amounts of unknown compounds within seconds.

Alerting first responders to the prevalence of specific adulterants in local supplies of fentanyl may make the difference between life and death. That's because most of the harmful compounds aren't opioids and therefore require additional medical treatment to counteract their damaging effects. For instance, one of the adulterants, a veterinary anesthetic known as xylazine, causes leg or arm wounds so severe that amputation may be necessary if they are left untreated.

S. to quickly capture and report the chemical makeup of the ever-changing illicit drug supply. S. illicit drug supply. The RaDAR program is filling this information gap by providing actionable, near-real-time data to frontline responders in communities across the nation.

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