Fact check: Drug overdose from limited fentanyl contact not possible, experts say

Miriam Fauzia, USA TODAY
·5 min read

The claim: Sheriff's deputy overdosed after accidental fentanyl exposure

A viral social media post claims a California sheriff's deputy overdosed after being accidentally exposed to the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

"The accidental fentanyl exposure hit #SanDiego County sheriff's Deputy David Faiivae quickly. It was an overdose. He was dying," reads the Aug. 6 Instagram post.

The post goes on to detail how the overdose purportedly unfolded as seen through a body-worn camera. It claims the footage, which is not included in the post, shows Faiivae collapsing seconds after testing a white powder had trouble breathing, then was saved by a "quick-thinking partner."

The post cites CNN as a source for its information. The text, however, appears to originate from a Los Angeles Times Aug. 6 article on the incident. The situation occurred July 3 but gained widespread attention when the San Diego County Sheriff's Department released footage of the incident on Aug. 5.

The dramatic four-minute video was intended to highlight the dangers of fentanyl but has since been met with criticism from the medical community. Experts say there's no evidence that such limited exposure to fentanyl can cause an overdose.

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USA TODAY has reached out to the poster for comment.

Limited contact can't cause fentanyl overdose, experts say

Fentanyl is a powerful drug among members of the opioid family, about 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. It's been linked to the surge in drug overdose cases and deaths in the last year.

While fentanyl can be potent in small amounts depending on what other substances it's mixed with, brief secondhand exposure to the opioid cannot cause an overdose, experts say.

"The only way to overdose is from injecting, snorting or some other way of ingesting it. You cannot overdose from secondhand contact," Dr. Ryan Marino, medical director of toxicology and addiction medicine at University Hospitals in Cleveland, told The New York Times.

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Dr. Lewis Nelson, director of the Division of Medical Toxicology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, agreed, telling Reuters fentanyl overdose was possible "with large dermal exposure ... for a prolonged time." But he said even the pharmaceutical fentanyl patch, which is designed to be absorbed through the skin, "takes 12-16 hours before a significant blood fentanyl concentration is reached."

'Nocebo' effect in emergency responders

Illicit drug exposure is a risk that emergency responders, like law enforcement, are likely to encounter during routine jobs, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

But a 2017 review study found "the risk of clinically significant exposure to emergency responders is extremely low." The American College of Medical Toxicology and the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology said "toxicity cannot occur from simply being in proximity to the drug."

Researchers who study reported overdoses from fentanyl exposure among emergency responders have explained that cases documented thus far can best be attributed to the "nocebo effect" – a phenomenon where individuals believe they have encountered a toxic substance and therefore experience the expected symptoms of exposure, according to a study published last year in the Harm Reduction Journal.

Marino, who watched the video, told the San Diego Union-Tribune a nocebo effect could explain Faiivae's reaction since his symptoms did not suggest an overdose.

The deputy is reported to have been wearing gloves and safety goggles and came no closer than 6 inches to the white powder before his collapse. The New York Times reported Narcan – a nasal spray containing naloxone, a drug used to combat an opioid overdose – was administered but failed to improve Faiivae's symptoms, another piece of evidence against the incident being an overdose. He was quickly transported to a nearby hospital, where he recovered.

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San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore initially concluded without formal medical evaluation that Faiivae had overdosed. Gore told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Aug. 9 his department had been operating under the assumption inhalation or touching of a drug could cause an overdose .

No toxicology reports could be obtained, sheriff's officials said in an Aug. 12 statement, because the hospital didn't take a sample from the deputy.

The Aug. 12 statement also includes unedited footage from the body cameras of Faiivae and Corp. Scott Crane, Faiivae's field training officer who was present at the time. Sheriff's officials met with medical experts on Aug. 13 to review the publicly released videos, the Union-Tribune reported. Experts concluded that while administering Narcan was an appropriate response, the new footage did not show any evidence an accidental overdose had occurred.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate the claim a deputy overdosed after accidental fentanyl exposure FALSE . No toxicology screen or other medical evaluation was made to confirm the incident was indeed overdose-related. Toxicology experts say a drug overdose from accidental fentanyl exposure is not possible simply from being in proximity to the drug.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Fentanyl overdose from limited contact not possible