Baby Safety / Compounds / Carfentanil

Is Carfentanil safe for babies and kids?

Extreme risk for kids

Infants are more vulnerable to Carfentanil than children or adults due to immature hepatic/renal clearance, higher intake-to-body-weight ratio, rapid organ development, and increased gastrointestinal absorption.

What is carfentanil?

The IUPAC name is methyl 1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-(N-propanoylanilino)piperidine-4-carboxylate.

Also known as: methyl 1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-(N-propanoylanilino)piperidine-4-carboxylate, Carfentanyl, Wildnil, Carfentanilum.

IUPAC name
methyl 1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-(N-propanoylanilino)piperidine-4-carboxylate
CAS number
59708-52-0
Molecular formula
C24H30N2O3
Molecular weight
394.5 g/mol
SMILES
CCC(=O)N(C1=CC=CC=C1)C2(CCN(CC2)CCC3=CC=CC=C3)C(=O)OC
PubChem CID
62156

Risk for babies

Extreme risk

Infants are more vulnerable to Carfentanil than children or adults due to immature hepatic/renal clearance, higher intake-to-body-weight ratio, rapid organ development, and increased gastrointestinal absorption.

Neonates and infants up to 12 months have incomplete blood-brain barrier development, immature Phase I/II metabolic enzymes (particularly CYP3A4, UGT1A1), and higher gastrointestinal permeability. Equivalent doses produce higher internal concentrations and longer residence times.

What to do: Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Carfentanil, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Regulatory consensus

3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Carfentanil. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
DEA—Schedule I controlled substance
UN—Listed as a controlled substance in the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
Chemical Weapons Convention—Schedule 1 under the Australia Group controls as a potential chemical weapons precursor

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter carfentanil

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Carfentanil:

  • Therapeutic alternatives (consult prescriber)
    Trade-offs: Drug-specific. Cannot substitute without medical guidance.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is carfentanil safe for kids?

Infants are more vulnerable to Carfentanil than children or adults due to immature hepatic/renal clearance, higher intake-to-body-weight ratio, rapid organ development, and increased gastrointestinal absorption.

What products contain carfentanil?

Carfentanil appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

What should I do if my child is exposed to carfentanil?

Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

Why do regulators disagree about carfentanil?

Carfentanil has been classified by 3 agencies including DEA, UN, Chemical Weapons Convention, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Carfentanil in the baby app

Look up products containing carfentanil, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD): Pre-Review of Carfentanil — 10,000× morphine; large animal immobilizer Wildnil; Moscow theater 130 deaths; CWC Schedule 1; microgram lethal dose; naloxone 20-50 mg reversal; Schedule I (2018) (2018) — regulatory
  2. DEA Drug Enforcement Administration: Carfentanil Threat Advisory — Schedule I; no human medical use; illicit supply contamination 2016+; mass overdose clusters; first responder secondary exposure; surface contamination hazard; immunoassay detection gap (2016) (2016) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →