Fentanyl or cooties? Exposure risks defying physics in Tenessee

A friend of the blog shared a story out of Tennessee about how, apparently in that state, fentanyl grains are floating in the air and if they touch you...you die.  Not unlike catching cooties from a girl.

No, seriously, that's what local responders told Eric Egan, reporter for WKRN.

From the story:

"As recently as last week I had one of my officers exposed to fentanyl,” explained a Tennessee police captain. “It required a trip to the emergency room, and several hours of follow up care to get him back on his feet." 

Um hm... from later in the story, from another source,

“Just a single grain can touch us, and we can overdose with that drug," said Brewer. 

Are we still talking about synthetic depressants or cooties?  Can cooties permeate the skin and infect on contact?  Because, apparently, despite facts to the contrary, Tennessee fentanyl grains are airborne and deadly on contact.

Grains of fentanyl.  Like little rice ninjas sneaking through the car.  Climbing over the meth and striking when no one is looking! Hey Hollywood, I'd see that movie!

Here's one of the biggest problems guys.  Mr Brewer, the one quoted in the story saying a single grain of fentanyl touching a cop will kill them...Is a "Fire Captain and Medical Officer."

How on Earth are we going to keep the fentanyl hysteria under control with misinformation like this?  Why did Captain Brewer say this?  Why didn't any of them google fentanyl and CDC?

Probably because they'd be proven as overreacting, just like the officers in the field.

I don't doubt that officers are contacting fentanyl laced heroin.  I don't doubt that they might get it on their gloves and then wipe their eyes, or touch their belt, or touch anything else, then start to have a panic attack.  Sorry, experience acute anxiety.  What I do doubt is that these departments are having officers look at fentanyl and drop.

From the CDC website:

"Brief skin contact with fentanyl or its analogues is not expected to lead to toxic effects if any visible contamination is promptly removed. Potential exposure routes of greatest concern include inhalation, mucous membrane contact, ingestion, and percutaneous exposure (e.g., needlestick).  Any of these exposure routes can potentially result in a variety of symptoms that can include the rapid onset of life-threatening respiratory depression."

Take a close look at that last one gang, respiratory depression.  Not anxiety, not dizzyness, not uncontrolled muscle spasms.  Those are more likely exposure to a stimulant, like methamphetamine.  In fact, most of the stories that float through my feeds didn't have an officer getting fentanyl on their gear and stopping breathing at the scene.

I'd invite WKRN, or any reportere considering a fentanyl story, to talk to a Doctor next time, or even just google CDC.  If you had you'd realize that fentanyl exposure for responders is extremely rare and most cases of exposure can be handled in the following manner:

From those "experts" over at CDC again...

• Wash hands with soap and water immediately after a potential exposure and after leaving a scene where fentanyl is known or suspected to be present to avoid potential exposure and to avoid cross contamination. Do not use hand sanitizers or bleach solutions to clean contaminated skin.

Just like kindergarten, folks. wash. your. hands.

Now, time to google cooties at CDC.