Researchers in Washington are updating a database on different types of fentanyl to keep first responders safe when they arrive to the scene of an overdose or crime scene. The idea is to put that information into a handheld device that officers or firefighters can use so they know if the substance they have found is dangerous. The Department of Homeland Security funded this project at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington State. Just like variants of COVID-19, there are different forms of fentanyl. Enterprise chemists work on analogs of the deadly opioid that are more addictive and easier to make. Overdoses from the opioid has become a big problem recently in Colorado. The state's health department found nearly half of the overdose deaths in 2021 involved fentanyl.