No, there isn’t evidence to support claims of construction workers dying from water bottles laced with fentanyl

Viral social media posts claim construction workers are dying from fentanyl-laced water bottles being given to them by members of the public. This has also spurred safety warnings from companies about the incidents.

“We want to bring your attention to a matter of utmost importance. Recently, we have received distressing reports of several incidents in different regions, such as California and Chicago, where unsuspecting workers have been offered free water bottles by the public, only to find out later that these bottles were laced with fentanyl. Tragically, we have lost at least one union member due to this dangerous situation,” a labor union based out of Boston posted on Facebook. This post directed people to call the Operative Plasterers’ & Cement Masons’ International Association directly for more information.

An article posted by a radio station out of central New York said the same thing happened to a flagging company in Spokane, Washington. Safety bulletins appearing to come from companies claim similar incidents have happened in cities including San Diego and Chicago.

A VERIFY viewer reached out to ask if these claims were real, because he heard about them in his morning safety meeting while at work. 

THE QUESTION

Are construction workers overdosing or dying from bottles of water laced with fentanyl?

THE SOURCES

• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
• Spokane Police Department spokesperson
• City of Spokane spokesperson
• NPL Construction Company
• A spokesperson with the Chicago Police Department
• Anthony Wagner, a spokesperson with San Diego Gas & Electric
• San Diego Police Department spokesperson
• A spokesperson with the Operative Plasterers’ & Cement Masons’ International Association

THE ANSWER

No, there is no evidence that workers are overdosing, dying from or even being given fentanyl-laced drinks. 

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WHAT WE FOUND

Fentanyl is a dangerous and highly addictive synthetic opiate. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), more than 150 people die every day from fentanyl overdoses in the U.S.

VERIFY found no evidence workers have overdosed or died after being exposed to fentanyl-laced water bottles.

VERIFY looked through local news reports, reached out to police departments and city officials, and reached out to several companies referenced by name in the social media posts.

Phoenix-based NPL Construction Company – referred to as NPL Pipeline Company in one safety alert about the alleged overdoses – posted on social media that the information about fentanyl claims is “entirely false.” The incident involving NPL allegedly occurred in a Chicago suburb, the post said. 

“We are aware of a false report stating NPL employees were harmed after drinking drug-laced water offered to them by a member of the public. This information is entirely false. No NPL employees have been involved in any incident of this nature anywhere throughout the country. We are unsure where this story originated but can confirm no NPL employees have been harmed in this way,” the statement said.

In an email to VERIFY, a spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said they have no information about the incident and referred VERIFY to NPL’s statement debunking the claims.

In Spokane, where one of the viral claims alleges an overdose took place, the police department told VERIFY there have been no official reports. 

“No incidents have been reported or verified,” a Spokane Police Department spokesperson told VERIFY in an email. An official with the City of Spokane also confirmed they are “not aware of any reports of tainted water being dispensed.” 

In San Diego, power company San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) had posted alerts about workers with a local contractor being given the laced water. When VERIFY reached out to them for comment, they told us they had retracted the warning, saying "after further evaluation, we discovered the source of this incident information could not be confirmed. All external social media sources that posted this information have been taken down.”

A spokesperson with the San Diego Police Department also confirmed they have not had any reports of  water bottle poisoning incidents happening in San Diego.

VERIFY checked with the Operative Plasterers’ & Cement Masons’ International Association (OPCMIA), who was mentioned on social media by a Boston labor union about these claims. A spokesperson with OPCMIA said they were waiting for more information about the incident and didn’t provide further comment.