Fentanyl poses increasing risk of overdose deaths in Dunn County and Eau Claire County
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by LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — Eau Claire County recorded 23 drug overdose deaths in 2022, and in Dunn County there was one overdose death.
The reason for the difference in overdose deaths between the two counties is not clear, but people are seeking fentanyl, and the overdose deaths are expected to increase, said Marcie Rosas, Dunn County and Eau Claire County Medical Examiner, at the Dunn County Board’s June 21 meeting.
Dunn County has contracted with Eau Claire County for medical examiner services for the past seven years.
The difference in drug overdose deaths between Dunn County and Eau Claire County has always been there, and it is like “there is a line drawn in the sand,” Rosas said.
Even though there have been more fentanyl deaths in Eau Claire County, the drug still affects Dunn County, Rosas said.
During a recent stop of a vehicle on I-94 in Dunn County, law enforcement officers found fentanyl pills, also called M-30 pills. The pills are manufactured to look like oxycodone pills, she said.
Oxycodone is a prescription pain reliever that has been popular among those who abuse narcotics and carries a high risk of addiction and dependence.
The amount of fentanyl found in the vehicle was enough for 12,500 lethal doses, Rosas said.
Rosas said she contacted the West Central Drug Task Force to get a better understanding of the fentanyl crisis.
Fentanyl use has been on the rise in the United States for years, Rosas said, and the West Central Drug Task Force has seen a large increase in people being arrested for fentanyl possession.
Fentanyl is far more profitable than other drugs because there is no agricultural component in the manufacture. Heroin requires labor and land to grow the poppy crop, but fentanyl, like methamphetamine, is made from chemicals, she said.
The process to manufacture fentanyl is simple and inexpensive, and it starts out 50 times more powerful than heroin, Rosas said.
Fentanyl is mixed with other agents, and the danger lies in inconsistent processing. Some doses have far more fentanyl than other doses. Some doses are far more lethal, she said.
Law enforcement, emergency medical personnel and the medical examiners face an increased risk of personal exposure to the lethal drug, Rosas said.
Even though the chemicals that make up fentanyl are inexpensive, and the drug is easy to manufacture, fentanyl is actually a potent synthetic opioid drug that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in pain relief.
Fentanyl is about 100 times more potent than morphine.
Unclaimed remains
Another problem facing the medical examiner’s office is unclaimed human remains, Rosas said.
In 2020, there were one million unclaimed bodies in the United States, she said.
As it turns out, there is no legal obligation for next of kin to take care of the remains. There can be many reasons why human remains are not claimed: estrangement between the person who died and other family members; the cost of burial; a lack of pre-planning for how to handle the deceased’s remains, Rosas said.
If no one claims a body, the medical examiner’s office or the coroner’s office must take care of the unclaimed remains, she said.
The medical examiner’s office must spend time and resources trying to locate family, and if no family is found, must then make arrangements for the body, Rosas said.
Funeral homes and hospitals have limited refrigeration to keep bodies, she said.
For each unclaimed human remains, the cost is $850 for cremation. In 2022, there were five unclaimed bodies between Dunn County and Eau Claire County, resulting in a cost of $5,000 out of the medical examiner’s budget, Rosas said.
Five years ago, money for unclaimed remains was not necessary as a line item in the budget, she said.
Based on the first part of the year, 2023 is expected to exceed 2022 in the number of drug overdose deaths and in the number of unclaimed human remains, Rosas said.
The Dunn County Medical Examiner’s office includes four full-time employees and four part-times employees.
There is one medical examiner, three chief deputy medical examiners and four deputy medical examiners.
The office has someone on duty 24 hours per day, seven days per week, and there are typically two people on duty at one time.
