Unsuspecting Ohio Patrolman Overdoses from Fentanyl Skin Contact

(Summer 2017) An Ohio police officer recently had an alarming accidental exposure to fentanyl, an extremely strong synthetic opioid painkiller. Patrolman Chris Green became unresponsive approximately an hour after dusting white powder from his shirt with this bare hand. Before that, he had inspected the car of two alleged drug dealers.

Four rounds of Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal drug, were needed to counteract the fentanyl’s effects.

East Liverpool Police Chief John Lane says Green protected himself with a mask and gloves while examining the vehicle but had removed them prior to clearing the particles on his shirt away. Lane suspects Green didn’t even think that the substance was a drug.

Green’s accidental brush with fentanyl highlights the serious issues associated with it. As a case in point, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that fatalities from fentanyl and similar man-made opioids, other than methadone, increased 72% in the short span from 2014 to 2015. The CDC also found that drug overdose mortalities as a whole are on the rise in the U.S., and over 60% of these are opioid-induced. Sadly, more than 91 individuals die daily due to these substances.

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. It is generally used to alleviate intense pain or manage it post-surgery. The drug is also used by individuals with chronic pain who are physically intolerant to other opioid medications. In the pharmacy, fentanyl is also known as Actiq®, Duragesic® and Sublimaze®. When issued by a doctor, fentanyl is typically given via a transdermal patch, an injection or lozenges.

However, most fentanyl tied to current overdoses is manufactured in secret workshops and sold in different forms than those manufactured for pharmaceutical use, including on blotter paper, as a powder, or cut into or substituted for heroin. Street fentanyl is also sold as tablets and marketed as less powerful drugs. Users of non-pharmaceutical fentanyl snort, swallow or inject it, or they place the blotter paper in their mouths so the substance can be taken in through body tissue. Fentanyl and heroin-fentanyl mixes go by street names such as China Girl, China White, Apache, Dance Fever, Jackpot, Friend, Goodfella, TNT, Murder 8, and Tango & Cash.

Many times, users’ lives are placed in jeopardy because they don’t know the drugs they are ingesting have been laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl, like all opioids, binds with brain receptors that regulate breathing.  Large or particularly strong doses – like fentanyl – can cause people to stop breathing.

Opioid deaths are now touching many American lives. As is often said, the best defense is a good offense. Educate yourself about the dangers of opioids and find out how to stop their abuse. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call 1-855-DRUGFREE to receive help.

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