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Prince Was Full of Fentanyl When He Died

A toxicology report from Prince Rogers Nelson’s autopsy revealed an “exceedingly high” concentration of fentanyl in his body, according to The Associated Press.

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — A toxicology report from Prince Rogers Nelson’s autopsy revealed an “exceedingly high” concentration of fentanyl in his body, according to The Associated Press.

Prince’s body was found in the elevator of his home at Paisley Park on April 21, 2016. He died of a fentanyl overdose. A confidential toxicology report acquired by the AP revealed how much fentanyl was in his system when he died.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin. Experts not connected to the investigation said the numbers confirm that fentanyl killed him.

“The amount in his blood is exceedingly high, even for somebody who is a chronic pain patient on fentanyl patches,” said Dr. Lewis Nelson, chairman of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He called the fentanyl concentrations “a pretty clear smoking gun,” the AP reported.

The toxicology report said the concentration of fentanyl in Prince's blood was 67.8 micrograms per liter. The report states that deaths have been documented in people with blood levels ranging from 3 to 58 micrograms per liter.

There was also fentanyl in Prince's liver — 450 micrograms per kilogram, enough to indicate “overdose or fatal toxicity,” according to the AP.

There was also a potentially lethal amount of fentanyl in Prince's stomach. Dr. Charles McKay, president of the American College of Medical Toxicology, said the findings suggest Prince took the drug orally.

Experts say there is no set lethal dose for fentanyl. A lethal dose of a drug is referred to as an LD 50 — a dose at which 50 percent of a population will die. But a person who takes prescription opioids for a long time builds up tolerance, and a dose that could kill one person might help another.

Categories / Entertainment, Health

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