Using our interactive charts
BTMPS (Bis[2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl]sebacate) began appearing in the unregulated drug market in the US in the summer of 2024. The chemical is usually used in making plastics to protect them from UV rays. Its appearance in the drug market was associated with both disruptions to usual supply and reports of odd tastes and smells. BTMPS was first identified by community drug checking organizations and can be identified using the FTIR machines onsite at many such sites in Washington. We should point out that BTMPS is not the only impurity that may be found in the drug supply about which little is known, and not even the only light stabilizer normally used in manufacturing (for example, we have also seen 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol). But given the presence and prominence of BTMPS, we focus on this one impurity here.
First, we show community drug checking samples positive for BTMPS by quarter, broken out by those found with fentanyls and those not found with fentanyls (which is rare). Initially, "all other samples" is hidden to focus on BTMPS-positive samples, but if you click on that entry in the legend, you can see the relative prevalence of BTMPS over time. Hover over a data point to see the percentage of all samples (if all other samples is in the graph) or of BTMPS-positive samples (if all other samples is hidden).
The graphs below show the data in a different way: Among samples positive for BTMPS, what were they reportedly sold or given as. Here, in addition to our usual key "sold as" categories, which are not mutually exclusive, we add an indicator for being sold as none of these key categories.
Below we present the drugs found alongside BTMPS in confirmatory testing results. Most BTMPS is found with fentanyl and/or related substances (analogues or precursors). Note that "fentanyl precursors" are fentanyl-specific impurities, while the substances in the "impurities" category repesent chemicals or compounds that remain after processing or synthesis of other drugs, such as heroin (e.g., noscapine and papaverine) or methamphetamine (e.g., N-acetylmethamphetamine) or versatile chemicals used in multiple chemical reactions not specifically linked to a given drug outcome. Results are cumulative.
Drug testing sites can do little about potential cross-contamination: The container a client used may or may not have been used before. Therefore, any unusual combination may be due to cross-contamination and not represent drugs actually sold together. For more details on drug categories named above, click here. Counts by quarter do not show the current quarter but shares do, as the percentages are not likely to change very much once the quarter is complete.