An industrial chemical is showing up in fentanyl in the U.S., troubling scientists

UCLA project director Ruby Romero, left, and project manager Caitlin Molina demonstrate how they test street drugs. Romero and Molina are part of a team of researchers from UCLA and other groups that released an analysis about an unfamiliar chemical called BTMPS now surfacing in the nation’s illicit drug supply. An industrial chemical used in plastic products has been cropping up in illegal drugs from California to Maine, a sudden and puzzling shift in the drug supply that has alarmed health researchers. Its name is bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate, commonly abbreviated as...