Detecting Opioids with the new FLIR G510 Portable GC-MS

24th August 2017

Clandestine drug labs are not a new problem for responders, but they are growing in number and present potentially dangerous crime scenes. One of the fastest growing opioid threats is fentanyl, which not only poses significant danger to responders, but also to the wider community.

Fentanyl is most commonly distributed as powder, pill, or patch. A person can overdose by simply touching or inhaling a small amount. Indeed, if fentanyl is suspected, the US Drug Enforcement Agency already recommends that law enforcement officers do not field test drugs, but should immediately engage Hazardous Materials Incident Reponse Teams.

To that point, FLIR have developed an application note that discusses how portable gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS) equipment like the Griffin G510 can help hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response teams quickly perform on-scene identification of narcotics. This application note specifically demonstrates detection of:

    Diacetylmorphine - the most common chemical name for heroin
    Fentanyl - commonly cut with heroin
    Pyridine - a solvent used in the production of fentanyl

For further information about the G510 and its applications, please contact James Tomlinson at Southern Scientific on 01273 497600 or 07423 474907.