Yellowknife's wastewater is showing signs of 2 new 'potent' drugs, health official warns
Chief public health officer says new opioid and sedative detected in Yellowknife
The N.W.T.'s top health official says two new drugs have been detected in Yellowknife's wastewater — and both could be harmful.
In a public health advisory Monday from Health and Social Services, Chief Public Health Officer Kami Kandola said an opioid called Isotonitazene and a sedative called Xylazine were both detected for the first time in the territory in May.
It took this long to report because it takes at least six weeks to process samples, the department said.
It said Isotonitazene is thought to be more potent than fentanyl, while Xylazine is used as a tranquilizer in veterinary medicine and is sometimes found mixed with fentanyl.
Sampling showed that synthetic opioids similar to fentanyl were also present at detectable levels — the second time in the past year that that's happened.
The department said neither Isotonitazene nor Xylazine can be detected with fentanyl test strips, and both "can cause harmful effects in humans based on potency." The effects of an Isotonitazene overdose can still be reversed with Naloxone.
The health advisory stated neither of the drugs can be detected by sight, smell or taste either, and Xylazine can make an opioid overdose worse.