National Wastewater Drug Surveillance (NWDS): Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues

Fentanyl and its analogues are potent synthetic opioids. They play a central role in the ongoing overdose crisis.

Wastewater surveillance is being used a lot more to monitor these substances. As most of the fentanyl is metabolized in the body, we can detect both the parent compound and its metabolites in wastewater.

We can also get information on which drugs people are using in their region, including new substances of concern. The information also tells us how drug use is changing over time, so we can react quickly.

The interactive map and figure on this page show substances identified. Select a time period or specific fentanyl analogues from the dropdown menus to update the results.

Footnotes

1. This wastewater-based analytical method was developed to identify emerging drug trends and detect new psychoactive substances (NPS) present at low concentrations in complex wastewater matrices. As such, our reporting criteria are intentionally broad and results provided may include false positives and/or false negatives. Users of this data should interpret results with caution and consider them as indicative rather than definitive. Confirmatory testing using validated methods is recommended for any critical decision-making.
2. Our wastewater program currently has limited coverage. The number of municipalities varies between provinces and territories, and the number of sites can vary from month to month. As the drugs identified do not represent all of Canada, trends should be interpreted with caution.