UVA-developed tech to help detect fentanyl in Virginia’s wastewater

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A tool used to track down COVID-19 outbreaks in now fighting the fentanyl crisis in the commonwealth.

Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) is calling on the Virginia Department of Health to use wastewater testing to find where fentanyl use spikes in the state.

VDH will be looking at communities as a whole, rather than specific homes or blocks, to find where to focus.

Secretary of Health and Human Resources Secretary John Littel says the technology being used started at UVA.

“Last year, 2,000 Virginians died from fentanyl poisoning,” Littel said. “That’s more than motor vehicle deaths and gun-related deaths combined.”

Littel says they’re looking so see how fentanyl use varies over time, and in different places.

He says VDH is working with localities to figure out how to conduct tests in a cost-efficient way.

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