* Yesterday…
Staff members at several southern Illinois prisons have been treated at area hospitals since August.
It’s believed they were exposed to tainted mail.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, they are investigating what caused staff members at Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Pinckneyville Correctional Center, Shawnee Correctional Center in Johnson County and Illinois River Correctional Center in Fulton County to receive medical attention.
IDOC reports items recovered at some of the facilities have tested positive for synthetic cannabinoids, chemicals found in insecticides and Fentanyl, but at some locations, there have been no positive results. Illinois State Police are conducting further testing at their lab.
* I’m highly dubious of these claims by guards…
The American College of Medical Toxicology and the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology issued a joint report in 2017 asserting the risk of fentanyl overdose via incidental transdermal exposure is very low, and it would take 200 min of breathing fentanyl at the highest airborne concentrations to yield a therapeutic dose, but not a potentially fatal one.
Also…
“This has never happened,” said Dr. Ryan Marino, a toxicologist and emergency room physician who studies addiction at Case Western Reserve University. “There has never been an overdose through skin contact or accidentally inhaling fentanyl.” […]
“There’s never been a toxicologically confirmed case,” said Brandon Del Pozo, a former police chief who studies addiction and drug policy at Brown University.” The idea of it hanging in the air and getting breathed in is highly highly implausible - it’s nearly impossible.”
* Anyway, I just received this from the Illinois Department of Corrections regarding a lockdown at Shawnee Correctional Center…
After today’s health related events, the facility contacted MABAS Hazmat Team 45 to assist with the investigation. MABAS Hazmat Team 45 did not locate any harmful substances during their search. Shawnee CC remains on Level 1 lockdown to allow for a thorough investigation into these events.
Background:
• This morning, September 25, a correctional officer reported to the Health Care Unit (HCU) at Shawnee Correctional Center with medical symptoms after conducting count in Housing Unit 1.
• Another correctional officer, assigned to Housing Unit 1’s control room, began to experience medical symptoms and was escorted to the HCU by two additional correctional officers.
• The two responding correctional officers also began to feel ill along with two staff members of the HCU.
• Five of the six impacted staff were decontaminated and transported to an outside hospital by ambulance for evaluation. They have since been released.
• No individuals in custody were impacted.
Not sure why a lockdown is even necessary.
IDOC needs to start an intensive education program.
- H-W - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 4:35 pm:
=== No individuals in custody were impacted. ===
Really? Not impacted? Everyone in custody is impacted by lockdowns lacking justification.
It is possible that the guards had anxiety attacks and the inmates were punished. It is possible we are witnessing false contagions. Unless there is reason to believe the inmates are responsible, treating them as if they are responsible is inhumane. If we make prison more inhumane, we can predict the results - more violence and more guards quitting.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 4:52 pm:
Gotta gin up those comp claims. DOC employees have an established history of organized comp claims based on the same sets of facts.
Watch for them to follow up with some local ‘work injury’ doc and get the off work slips and steroid prescriptions for the ’severe inhalation injuries.’
- Rabid - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 5:09 pm:
Why ain’t the mailman in the hospital
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 5:11 pm:
That’s a very good point, Rabid.
- Big Dipper - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 5:58 pm:
There was a time when a rash of police officers were simulating fentanyl poisoning. Seems to have migrated to correctional staff.
- Excitable Boy - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 6:07 pm:
Thanks for being one of the few to report on this fake illness without regurgitating the claims as scientific fact.
- @misterjayem - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 7:09 pm:
From Wikipedia:
tl;dr- hysterical
– MrJM
- FormerParatrooper - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 7:38 pm:
Paranoia at its finest. As Rabid asked about the mailman, how many hands did the substance travel thru? Did it go by common carrier since the USPS often has 3rd parties deliver? There would be a track of exposure before it made it to the prison mail room.
Is it possible to transit a hazardous substance with only the recipient at risk? Yes, but that takes a degree of sophistication that few posses.
- Give Us Barabbas - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 8:20 pm:
Why is the mailman unaffected? Because the guards haven’t thought to cut him in yet.
Hey, I believe some people try to soak paper with chemicals that inmates later convert into something they smoke. You can prove that with an actual chemical test.
But what is happening here is a 22nd century blue flu. Or a mass psychosis among people without other job opportunities, with an unnaturally stressful job that pays relatively well and has too much required overtime. They are creating vacation time where there’s no other means to get it.
- Flipside - Wednesday, Sep 25, 24 @ 9:03 pm:
All of this is NOT new. Been happening for a while now. Not even the IDOC can tell Menard what to do. Who answers to whom it may concern?
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 26, 24 @ 1:15 pm:
True story, I had a coworker who used to be a local police officer bring up the subject of IDOCs getting exposed. I respectfully but firmly said that’s bs. He then went on to say that he himself had been exposed and had to go to the hospital. “Great, I said, You’ve got proof then. Show it to me. Show me the hospital toxicology report they gave you.” “I will. I’ll bring it in.”
I have yet to see it.
I just have no idea why the claim of being a victim in this manner is so important to them that they would, as a group, blatantly and easily disprovably, lie about such a thing.
Some PsyD is going to have a great thesis from this. It’s so common amongst the law enforcement and correctional community. It’s such a play for victim status.
And they get so self righteously angry when you call them on it. That seems to me the tell.
- maybe - Thursday, Sep 26, 24 @ 3:38 pm:
https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2024/08/20/three-charged-drug-distribution-prison-following-death-prison-staff
This is not just IDOC staff that are playing the victim apparently.
- Fed up - Thursday, Sep 26, 24 @ 8:51 pm:
All these comments are so ridiculous. If you think it’s all made up them by all means please come join us. Some drugs come back negative b/c they are synthetic and used with insecticides and sanitizing chemicals. They use roach spray to cover the top to seal the drugs. It is a very scary situation to see someone go through the effects of being exposed. And yes inmates are also being exposed to the overdose. They are just cared for in the prison HCU unless narcan is used. This is a very scary situation that needs to be addressed and not over looked. Stronger drugs are coming. But the. Again if you think we are all faking this then by all means sign up and come join us. I just pray you don’t get exposed to the nonsense they have going around. Read the news even inmates are joining the media telling everyone what this is. It’s not just the staff that need to be kept safe but the inmates as well.