Fentanyl Deaths In Washington Doubled In 2016, State Finds

SEATTLE, WA - A new review of fentanyl-involved deaths by state health officials found that roughly double the number of people died from overdoses in 2016 compared to 2015. Fentanyl is an extremely strong opioid that is increasing in popularity across the U.S. amid a larger opioid crisis. Fentanyl is estimated to be about 50 times more powerful than heroin, and is so potent, it can cause serious harm just by touching it.

According to the state, 70 Washington residents died of fentanyl overdoses in 2016 compared to 28 in 2015. However, the state cannot make a direct comparison between the two years because of a change in testing protocol. Under new testing standards, it's possible that as many as 53 people died of fentanyl overdoses in 2015.

“While we still have a lot to learn about how these drugs are influencing drug use and overdoses in our state, this report answers some of our initial questions and gives us some insight to help shape our response to this challenge,” state health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said in a press release. “We are committed to do as much as we can to prevent opioid-related deaths in our state, and we’ll use what we’ve learned to help shape future work.”

The new estimate of fentanyl-related deaths (the state looked at a number of fenanyl analogues, including carfentanyl, which is estimated to be 10,000 times more powerful than morphine) came via a joint effort between the state Department of Health, the state Toxicology Laboratory, the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, and Public Health Seattle and King County.

According to the state, King and Snohomish counties had the highest total of fentanyl-related deaths in the state. Here's a look at the deaths across the state:

>>>Read the state's full report on fentanyl-related overdoses here

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