FENTANYL DEATHS HIT 33 IN A WEEK

Officials Attribute Seven More Deaths To Potent Painkiller Mixed With
Heroin Or Cocaine

The Wayne County death toll attributed to fentanyl-laced drugs has
reached 33 people in one week, putting Metro Detroit at the epicenter
of a national health concern that reaches into several other states.

There have been at least 200 confirmed deaths in five states
attributed to the painkiller mixed with heroin or cocaine, with 130
of them in Wayne County since January 2005. That total doesn't
include the 33 Wayne deaths from May 18 through Wednesday, which are
suspected but not yet confirmed by toxicology tests.

"It's a lot bigger than we thought it was in the beginning," said
John Kashani of the Poison Control Center in New Jersey, where 30
suspected fentanyl-related deaths occurred in the past month, about
the same as in Philadelphia.

Nowhere is concern higher than in Metro Detroit.

"The officials of this county should have taken this on a long time
ago," said Randy Richter, whose son was found dead in Canton on Feb.
27. "It is absolutely ridiculous to hear they didn't know it was a
problem because they knew it was a problem. How many lives could have
been saved?"

Richter's son's death was among nine over three days this winter, a
Detroit News review of toxicology reports found.

Richter was told his son, 18, was the 30th person to die this year
because of fentanyl. He's livid officials waited until Friday to make
the concern public. He suspects officials kept the deaths quiet for
Super Bowl XL, held in Detroit on Feb. 5, a charge county officials
emphatically deny.

"We've never done that and never will we do that," said Sharon Banks,
spokeswoman for the Wayne County executive office, who called that
suggestion "offensive and irresponsible."

The surge in Wayne County fentanyl-related deaths began in August
2005 and climbed steadily, according to health records.

Public health officials put out an alert last weekend when 12 people
died Thursday and Friday.

Most of the victims are believed to have used heroin mixed with
fentanyl, which is 80-100 times more potent than heroin and can cause
rapid death through respiratory failure.

This year's victims had fentanyl concentrations in their blood
ranging from .002 to as high as .19, according to toxicology reports
from the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office reviewed by The News.
Victims were a mix of men and women, black and white.

Before this week, the highest concentration of deaths occurred Feb.
27, 28 and March 1, when nine people died, including Richter's son,
health reports show. Of those, two had lethal amounts of the drug in
their blood of .11 or higher and others had high levels.

While some support more public awareness, others fear publicity will
have the opposite effect.

"One of the concerns many treatment providers have is this: Are
heroin users going to be seeking out fentanyl for their desire to get
the ultimate high?" said Christopher Parks of the Neighborhood
Services Organization. "They heard people are dying from it so it
must be a potent drug."

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials are trying to
develop a profile of those most likely to die from the painkiller, so
they can target groups with educational information.

County officials say they have heard the fentanyl may be manufactured
in a lab, but law enforcement says they are investigating all angles,
including whether health officials may be stealing it.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate used for pain relief and anesthesia.
Therapeutic concentrations in the bloodstream range between .001 and
.01, officials say.

"You are basically playing Russian roulette by using this," said
Wayne County Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Cheryl Loewe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.