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DEMING 鈥� Southern New Mexico has seen a recent rise in incidents involving toxic exposure that have affected emergency responders and others.

The latest instance was in Deming on Saturday night. At about 9:30 p.m., Deming police and emergency medical services answered a call from a Popeyes restaurant near Interstate 10 with a report of a suspicious individual using the business鈥� restroom. The individual fled the scene before agencies arrived, according to Deming Police Chief Sergio Lara.

Two employees reportedly entered the restroom and said there was evidence the individual had recently smoked an unidentified substance. Shortly thereafter, Lara said the employees began feeling ill and were taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The status of those employees has not been reported, and a spokesperson for Popeyes did not respond to queries for this report.

鈥淏ased on the symptoms reported, the initial concern was possible exposure to fentanyl or another hazardous substance,鈥� Lara stated in a news release.

The New Mexico State Police HazMat team and Luna County Emergency Management Unit joined police at the restaurant and initiated an investigation Lara said is ongoing. The restaurant was cleared to resume regular business early Sunday morning.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and no new information was made available by Monday afternoon.

鈥淎lthough this incident is believed to be isolated, local businesses are encouraged to remain vigilant and exercise caution in similar situations, particularly when individuals enter restrooms without seeking services and remain inside for extended periods,鈥� Lara stated.

Yet the case bears similarities to recent events involving opioid overdoses at a time when increasingly potent and harmful combinations of opioids and synthetic drugs have raised alarms. 

On June 1, 10 deputies and other first-responders in Grant County were taken to Gila Regional Medical Center for evaluation after a paramedic collapsed and others became ill while responding to a possible drug overdose at the Silver Star Mobile Home Park near Silver City.

On June 1, Grant County deputies and EMS arrived at the property shortly after 5:30 p.m. and attempted to revive an individual ultimately pronounced dead at the scene. The emergency responders 鈥渃ountered a possible airborne contaminant,鈥� Grant County Sheriff Raul Villanueva stated in a news release, and the EMS worker who collapsed was treated with naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdose.

A Drug Enforcement Administration hazardous material team later declared the home safe for investigators to proceed. Further information in that case, including identification of the substances involved, has not been made available.

Last month, the DEA issued a public advisory warning of increasingly 鈥渦npredictable and lethal鈥� combinations of the opioid fentanyl with highly potent synthetic opioids or non-opioids. These substances are frequently mixed into counterfeit pills or with powdered fentanyl, the DEA said.

Some substances, like xylazine and medetomidine, are non-opioid sedatives used by veterinarians whose effects may not be treated by naloxone, the agency warned. Other synthetic compounds, on the other hand, may require multiple doses.

With increased potency comes greater risk of overdose, respiratory depression, infection, soft-tissue damage and death, according to the DEA.

The advisory was issued on May 12. Eight days later, three Mountainair residents died and 18 emergency responders were hospitalized after being exposed to fentanyl, methamphetamine and para-fluorofentanyl, also known as P4 fentanyl during a service call to the home, according to preliminary findings of an investigation. The patients described symptoms including vomiting, nausea and dizziness.

The DEA has warned first responders that 鈥渆ven microscopic amounts of airborne (P4 fentanyl) powder or dust can cause rapid, potentially fatal opioid overdose through inhalation or skin contact,鈥� and recommended procedures including the use of goggles, gloves and chemical-resistant suits.

While the incidents in Mountainair and Silver City involved overdoses in private settings, the Deming exposure, whatever the circumstances were, took place at a business open to the public and affected ordinary employees.

Lara told the Journal Deming police and Luna County Emergency Management personnel would be heightening officer safety protocols including use of protective gear and having ample supplies of naloxone on hand for patients as well as officers potentially exposed. Deming Fire Chief Joe Owen said the city and county would also organize additional safety training.

Algernon D'Ammassa is the Journal's southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.