Suspicious letters have been reported at election offices in five states across the United States.

Five letters were mailed in total - four to Washington state, one to Fulton County in Georgia - Mr Raffensperger said.

The letters to Washington have been intercepted and some tested positive for fentanyl, he said.

  • @[email protected]
    1•2 years ago

    Of course fentanyl cannot be absorbed through the skin. Remember when the Merry Pranksters were planning to combine LSD with another drug that could be absorbed and paint the drinking fountains of the Republican National Convention? They didn’t, but those were the days,

    • admiralteal
      2•2 years ago

      There are formulations that can be absorbed through the skin – transdermal patches for fentanyl exist – but it is certainly not going to happen accidentally or with regular formulations.

    • @[email protected]
      1•2 years ago

      I’m assuming you’re talking about handling a dry powder form, to which I have zero experience so I can’t comment on. BUT fentanyl is absolutely administered through the skin with patches, used for slow release pain control. They’re incredibly helpful for people who aren’t getting medicated regularly or have difficulty with oral medications.

    • Endorkend
      0•2 years ago

      Doesn’t need to be absorbed by the skin.

      Opening it and having trace on your hands can land some of it in your mouth, eyes, nose, etc.

      Don’t know if it would be enough to do harm, but pure fentanyl can kill at 2 milligrams. Which you could get in you through simple trace.

  • Flying Squid
    4•2 years ago

    For everyone talking about how this isn’t dangerous- you’re missing the point. The point is to scare election workers out of working in elections. You know fentanyl isn’t dangerous on skin contact. Whoever is doing this is hoping they don’t.

    • PeleSpiritOPEnglish
      2•2 years ago

      I hope they wear gloves and masks when opening envelopes, just in case.

  • @[email protected]
    7•2 years ago

    Well, they’re either dealing with a troll or an idiot, and given that it’s election officials, I’ll say idiot. I’m a paramedic, I’ve worked with fentanyl a lot, getting fentanyl on your skin won’t kill you or send you into… Whatever happens to American cops when they “touch” fentanyl. I’m not saying it’s safe, the shit is insanely potent and prone to clumping, which is why it kills people way more than heroin or other opiates; 10 micrograms is the equivalent of one milligram of morphine. For the purpose of exposure, you either need to get it in contact with mucous membranes (medium speed) or have it in prolonged contact with the skin (pharmaceutically, this is done in some kind of gel preparation and absorption is S L O W). In other words, the person who sent this either believed the fentanyl was going to jump out of the letter and get the person who opened it, or they knew it wouldn’t kill them and just meant to shock or startle. I’m betting on the former.

    • @[email protected]
      2•2 years ago

      And whoever did this is absolutely fucked. They 100% are going after this stupid fuck with every law enforcement apparatus avaliable. I give him 2 weeks.

  • @[email protected]
    5•2 years ago

    Fentanyl!?!?!? Oh shit. Don’t you know that if a single molecule of Fentanyl is in a state then every cop in the tri-state area will suddenly enter a blind rage and start beating their wives.