Shocking revelations about presence of deadly drugs in Australia

Deadly drugs 40 times stronger than fentanyl have been detected in Australian wastewater for first time — and at levels higher than in the US.

Deadly opioid Nitazene is hitting Australian streets.

Deadly synthetic opioids have been detected in Australian wastewater for the first time, and at higher levels than those of the US, which has been in the grip of an overdose crisis for the last 10 years.

The shock findings from a study led by the University of Queensland have revealed zombie-style nitazene drugs have been found at five sites in both the US and Australia — the only countries out of 22 tested to show traces of the opioids.

Two nitazene variants — protonitazene and etonitazepyne — were detected at the two locations.

UQ Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences’ Richard Bade said: “The levels we found in Australia were significantly higher than those identified in the United States, which is quite concerning.

“Protonitazene is about three times as strong as fentanyl, which has driven an overdose crisis in North America in the last decade, while etonitazepyne is 40 times more powerful.

“Of nearly 700 wastewater samples gathered by scientists in 68 locations across 22 countries, traces of nitazenes were found in Australia and the United States.”

Researchers say the international research required a confidentiality clause, and the exact locations cannot be revealed.

It is not known if the drugs detected were a result of disposal or consumption.

Nitazene use is on the rise in Australia.

But in November last year an inner Brisbane pill testing site found nitazene, and Queensland Health issued a warning that the deadly drug was in circulation.

The Queensland government has axed CheQpoint pill testing services across the state.

Nitazenes are a rising public health threat, with fatal overdoses reported globally including Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and the US.

They emerged on the illicit market in the late 2010s and have since transformed into one of the fastest growing psychoactive substances in the world.

Most dangerously, many overdoses occur due to users taking nitazenes unknowingly with compounds often mixed into illicit drugs such as MDMA, ketamine, cannabinoids and methamphetamine.

The UQ research is published in Addiction.

Dr Bade said wastewater monitoring has emerged as a promising tool to serve as an early warning system for law enforcement and health authorities.

“We have developed highly sensitive instruments that filter through nitazenes in preparation for them to make their way to Australia,’’ Dr Bade said.

“Through this method we were able to detect concentrations as low as 0.01 nanograms per litre, with there being 1 billion nanograms per gram.

“Analyses can take place in real-time and data can be obtained in days to weeks so findings can be relayed to relevant authorities,” Dr Bade said.

Originally published as Shocking revelations about presence of deadly drugs in Australia