The WSLH Forensic Toxicology lab and its work on opioids biosurveillance in the state and nationally is featured in the latest issue of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Lab Matters magazine.
From the article –
The forensic laboratory at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene is one of a handful of US forensic laboratories housed in a public health laboratory, rather than a law enforcement agency. The laboratory recently began to implement an opioid biosurveillance program, analyzing specimens from impaired drivers while also receiving reports of fatal overdoses from medical examiners.
“We consider ourselves the bookend,” (WSLH Forensic Toxicology Director Amy) Miles said. “I think the US has focused on one side of it or the other. It’s rare for us to have that continuous examination of opioids—or any other drug of abuse, for that matter.” Now, the US is playing “catch-up” to improve its knowledge of overdoses and their causes, she said.