Secondhand exposure to fentanyl has become a topic of conversation on some online chat groups ever since six people were sent to Mercy Hospital after possibly being exposed to the drug at a Durango restaurant.
The incident occurred Sept. 6 at Homeslice Pizza on College Drive, where a restaurant employee, a clinician and four Durango Police Department officers were apparently exposed to fentanyl vapors while responding to a man allegedly using the drug in a bathroom.
According to police, DPD Officer Brian Burt, who entered the bathroom where an individual was supposedly using fentanyl, was hit in the face with a plume of smoke. He reportedly became lightheaded before passing out, prompting another officer to use Narcan to revive him.
DPD Deputy Chief Chris Gonzalez said his department's policy is to play it safe with any exposure to fentanyl. In the Sept. 6 case, the officer who was given Narcan never reported overdosing, but rather reported having a reaction that left him dizzy before passing out, he said.
“We at no point in time said it was an overdose,” Gonzalez said. “I agree wholly that the likelihood of overdosing from just stepping into a smoke cloud is extraordinarily low.”
According to large body of peer-reviewed scientific research, it is nearly impossible to overdose on fentanyl from a secondhand exposure. Additionally, Vanessa Bernal, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, wrote in an email that secondhand smoke or touching fentanyl pills or powder with bare skin poses minimal risk of overdose.
“Exposure to fentanyl can occur when someone ingests fentanyl or a substance containing fentanyl,” she wrote. “Common routes of fentanyl use include injecting, smoking, and deliberate inhalation, like snorting. Incidental exposure (i.e., inadvertent inhalation or touch) does not pose a safety threat to first responders.”
The Oregon Health Authority wrote on its website that legally manufactured and distributed fentanyl “is prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, especially after surgery and for advanced-stage cancer.” The Colorado Office of School Safety found fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine.
The Oregon report explained that fentanyl is sold through illegal drug markets in pill or tablet form, and “is often added to other drugs, because of its extreme potency, (which make) drugs cheaper, more potent, more addictive and more dangerous.” Additionally, the Colorado Office of School Safety report said “fentanyl cannot be seen, tasted or smelled when mixed into other drugs.”
The Washington Department of Public Health reported on its website that fentanyl can “cause a person’s breathing to slow and stop,” which is what constitutes an overdose. But it also said it is almost impossible to overdose from secondary exposure, and “there is no evidence of first responders experiencing an overdose from secondhand fentanyl exposure.”
A study titled “Perceived occupational risk of fentanyl exposure among law enforcement,” published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, concluded “that the risk of overdosing from fentanyl exposure is extremely low for law enforcement and other first responders.” It blamed a slew of reports in media and social media that reported the contrary, and has caused an increased sense of fear among first responders and bystanders alike.
Gonzalez said the officer reported losing consciousness after being exposed to the vapor and was given Narcan as a safety precaution in line with the department’s safety policy. He said the department is not certain why the officer passed out.
“The question is, was that out of toxicology, or was that out of fear?” Gonzales said. “We don't know the answer. We just know that he became lightheaded, started to faint and was immediately provided medical care.”
More about fentanyl
Resources are available to learn more about fentanyl, how to treat overdoses and where to obtain Narcan.
The Colorado Behavioral Health Administration offers a free online fentanyl education course to educate the public and users about the risks of the drug and what to do in the event of an overdose.
Additionally, free Narcan can be obtained at La Plata County Public Health’s front desk and is available over-the-counter at most pharmacies.
Gonzalez said officers approach situations like those with an extra degree of caution. However, he noted it is important to know that being exposed to fentanyl from a secondhand source does not pose a major threat.
“I think it’s very naive to say that there’s no risk, but it’s also naive to say that there’s an extraordinary risk,” Gonzales said. “Our rule of thumb is to prevent people from being exposed to it if we can, particularly our employees, because we don’t know the level of exposure they will receive if it does happen.”
Additionally, Gonzalez explained that medical personnel or concerned residents should not be afraid to treat someone suffering from a fentanyl overdose.
A report titled “Police reports of accidental fentanyl overdose in the field: Correcting a culture-bound syndrome that harms us all,” published in the National Library of Medicine, states that hesitating to treat someone overdosing with Narcan can delay response time in scenarios that “require rapid response to prevent death.”
Additionally, the same study stated that the premise perpetuates a false idea “that people who use illicit opioids are inherently dangerous to encounter, (and) that their bodies and belongings are poisonous.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
