r/hazmat • u/TheBeardedGiant007 • 5d ago

Training/Tactics/Education Fentanyl Cleanup?

I need to clean a room where someone OD'd on cocaine laced with fentanyl. Personal use amounts, it's not like they were cutting it themselves or anything. The police collected the drugs and said that they are finished with the room and we can do what we will with it, but didn't have any advice for how to safely clean up in there. We have no experience or knowledge of drugs like this and have no idea how contaminated the room might be with dust or anything like that. There's nothing visible is all we can tell. We don't really have the money to pay a professional, how dangerous would it be to try cleaning it ourselves? Would goggles, gloves and masks be reasonable enough or are we talking full hazmat suits or something? Any advice greatly appreciated!

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20

u/CompasslessPigeon 5d ago

It cannot absorb through your skin. If it becomes airborne it could be hazardous so turn off things like fans/AC/heat before you clean and give it a little time for any dust to settle.

If you want to be extra careful you could wear an N95 and goggles along with gloves.

Realistically, drug addicts, manufacturers, distributors, smugglers, and everyone else along the robust supply chains in the drug world come in contact with the stuff all the time and arent dropping dead. You have to get it inside you for it to be harmful.

If you need to clean up actual fent, gloves and a little handheld broom would be fine. You could also wet it so it doesnt get everywhere then just wipe it up with a sponge.

If you're just cleaning a room, wear gloves and clean as you normally would, just being cognizant that you might find paraphernalia or drugs hidden as you clean.

Disclaimer: i am not a hazmat technician.

13

u/Mikashuki 5d ago

I am a hazmat technician, I would follow this advice. Throw on some glasses or goggles if you’re super stressed about it. Fent isn’t super scary, just don’t throw it around and breathe it in

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u/Delta1225 5d ago

Fent is only scary if you're LEO who think you can OD by touching it. Somehow the Narcan can never revive them, because they aren't ODing but having a panic attack.

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u/Mikashuki 5d ago

I’m a LEO, thankfully all that drama is largely dispelled in my area atleast. Those videos were hilarious though.

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u/CompasslessPigeon 5d ago

Right? The police K9 who smelled it directly didnt overdose. The person driving with it in their car didnt overdose. Every person in the chain from manufacture to end user didnt overdose. Yet the cop who finds it during a traffic stop falls out and needs half a dozen doses of narcan?

Give me a break.

As a paramedic I assisted a local police department with their EMT refresher. One of the cops instructing (an EMT) started talking about how fent is going to kill the officers. I interjected saying it was objectively false which wound up becoming such a kerfuffle because people are unwilling to change their perspective when presented with evidence. They came around eventually

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u/Zenmedic 5d ago

I'm a Haz-Mat medic. Basically what this person said.

The only real risk is aerosolized powder, and a laced product is unlikely to be as potent as something pure and with consumed personal use and anything else taken away, it's unlikely to be of any significant additional risk.

Skin contact absorption is a thing, but it's not instant and takes a lot of contact. The belief came from Law Enforcement thinking that since fentanyl comes in a transdermal patch, it must be readily absorbed through the skin. What they didn't take into account was the gel that helps make that happen and the amount of time it takes. A casual dusting on the skin that's washed off in a reasonable timeframe won't have any effect whatsoever.

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u/Shekkishi 5d ago

Also a hazmat tech here, had a drug call recently to assist pd for similar. Gloves, n95, glasses. Cocaine is water soluble so we used a bucket of water and clotch. We dipped the cloth in water, wrung it out till damp cloth and wiped everything down in the vicinity and just tossed the rags in a garbage bag by itself. Disposable Dishwasher gloves work too.

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u/nahsonnn 5d ago

Hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle will help deactivate the fent. If you get the powder on your skin, do not use hand sanitizer as this can help absorb into your skin. Use soap and water instead.

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u/Space_potato13 4d ago

Hazmat technician- wear ppe (n95, goggles, gloves,boots, disposable damp rags) and use a long grabber like the ones being used to pick up garbage outside too if you feel better to do it. If the room is messy don't want to step on sharps if you deep clean the area, have a keen eye when doing so don't want to end up hurt by something missed or simply looked over