FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (WHDH) — State Police unveiled new equipment first responders will be using to keep safe during opioid busts in Massachusetts.
Officers will now be equipped with eye goggles, gloves, masks and even bodysuits to protect themselves. Drugs like fentanyl and carfentanyl are so potent that just touching them or breathing them in can result in an overdose. DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Mike Ferguson referred to the drugs as “manufactured death.”
“It can be incredibly dangerous for folks and law enforcement when we first respond,” said Ferguson. “If it goes airborne, it creates a hazordous situation for everybody involved.”
Officials said there were 877 opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts in 2016. This year seems to be on pace with that number.
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