10 months ago
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A idiosyncratic astatine a national situation successful California has died and investigators are examining whether helium was exposed to fentanyl soon earlier his death, 3 radical acquainted with the substance told The Associated Press.
Marc Fischer, a mailroom supervisor astatine the U.S. Penitentiary successful Atwater, California, died Friday aft helium reported feeling sick earlier, the radical said. They said helium was taken to a section infirmary and was pronounced dormant aboriginal successful the evening.
Investigators are examining whether helium was exposed to a substance authorities judge was fentanyl portion helium screening message astatine the prison, the radical said. The radical could not publically sermon details of the ongoing probe and spoke to the AP connected information of anonymity.
Fischer's origin of decease remained chartless Saturday and it was unclear whether the imaginable vulnerability whitethorn person contributed. Briefly touching fentanyl cannot origin an overdose, and researchers person recovered that the hazard of fatal overdose from accidental vulnerability is low.
In a statement, the Bureau of Prisons said an worker astatine the situation “began feeling unwell pursuing an vulnerability to message saturated successful an chartless substance” and was pronounced dormant aft being rushed to the hospital. A 2nd idiosyncratic was taken to the infirmary for reflection aft coming successful interaction with the message and was aboriginal released, the bureau said.
“Our hearts are dense arsenic we widen our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of our fallen Bureau employee,” the connection said.
His decease is the latest superior incidental successful the Bureau of Prisons, which operates 122 national prisons and has faced myriad situation successful caller years from rampant intersexual maltreatment and different transgression misconduct by unit to chronic understaffing, escapes and high-profile deaths.
In 2019, the bureau began photocopying inmate letters and different message astatine immoderate national correctional facilities crossed the state alternatively of delivering the archetypal parcels, successful an effort to combat the smuggling of synthetic narcotics.
Legislation was introduced by a bipartisan radical of legislature lawmakers successful 2023 to necessitate the Bureau of Prisons' manager to make a strategy to interdict fentanyl and different synthetic drugs sent done the message to national prisons nationwide. The measure has stalled successful the House.
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Sisak reported from New York.
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This communicative has been updated to bespeak that the past sanction of the mailroom supervisor who died is Fischer, not Fisher.
