Pennsylvania officials are now warning residents of a new and potentially lethal addictive drug making its way into our neighborhoods.

Schuylkill County coroner Dr. David J. Moylan has sat with dozens of distraught families, gently telling them their daughters or sons died of drug overdoses. Seventy-seven such deaths last year in his county were from opiates such as heroin, morphine and oxycodone.

Now, a new, even more deadly drug is surfacing: carfentanil, an animal sedative.

“The gold standard for pain relief that all narcotics are compared to is morphine,” Moylan said.

Carfentanil, he added, is “10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl.”

“Carfentanil is surfacing in more and more communities.” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg. “We see it on the streets, often disguised as heroin. It is crazy dangerous. Synthetics such as fentanyl and carfentanil can kill you.”

“As of Jan. 18, Pennsylvania had three known and confirmed deaths from the use of carfentanil, according to the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association,” said state Department of Health Deputy Press Secretary Wes Culp.

One death was in Butler County at the end of 2016, according to Butler County Coroner William Young. The first two deaths were in Beaver County in November and December 2016, according to Beaver County Coroner David Gabauer, Culp said.

“We haven’t seen any (in Schuylkill) yet,” Moylan said.

“Carfentanil is intended to sedate large animals and is not meant for humans - it can potentially kill anyone who comes into contact with it,” Secretary of Health Dr. Karen Murphy said.

“It’s absolutely essential that first responders, health professionals, and family members and friends of individuals with substance use disorder educate themselves about carfentanil to avoid accidental overdoses,” she said.

In September, Gov. Tom Wolf made the drug a temporary Schedule II controlled substance under the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act. That means the drug has high potential for abuse, which may lead to severe psychic or physical dependence.

But the second drug has already been found in Bethlehem.

“Gray Death,” as it is known, is a cocktail containing heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil, and has been found in Bethlehem. Police Chief Mark DiLuzio and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli have made separate announcements about this dangerous drug.

Morganelli said, “This is one of the scariest combinations in almost 20 years of forensic chemistry drug analysis. In just three months there have been 50 overdoses involving Gray Death. It sells for just $10 on the street.”

He said the Centers for Disease Control and law enforcement throughout the country are on high alert for fentanyl-laced opiods, as they are the reason for the increasing number of unintentional overdose fatalities.

“Opioids including prescription drugs and heroin killed more than 33,000 Americans in 2015 alone.”

According to The Morning Call, city police have made their first arrest for possession of the dangerous Gray Death. Undercover officers charged the 31-year-old woman for possession and endagering children for selling the drug from her home, and DiLuzio said it is so treacherous officers are advised to wear two pairs of gloves, only analyze the substance while wearing a respirator and to always have a second officer nearby ready with a dose of Naloxone.