{"id":16521,"date":"2025-09-16T00:28:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T00:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/overdoses-from-secondhand-fentanyl-exposure-highly-unlikely-experts-say\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:58:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:58:34","slug":"overdoses-from-secondhand-fentanyl-exposure-highly-unlikely-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/overdoses-from-secondhand-fentanyl-exposure-highly-unlikely-experts-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Overdoses from secondhand fentanyl exposure highly unlikely, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"The
The Cortez Police Department and Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office have seen an increase of fentanyl seizures in the county. Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

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.<\/p>\n

The incident occurred Sept. 6<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"Durango
Durango Police Department Officer Brian Burt reported being knocked unconscious after accidentally inhaling a plume of what officers believe to be fentanyl vapor. However, overdosing from secondhand exposure is effectively impossible, according to most peer reviewed scientific research on the topic. (Courtesy of Durango Police Department)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

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.<\/p>\n

DPD Deputy Chief Chris Gonzalez said his department\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe at no point in time said it was an overdose,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cI agree wholly that the likelihood of overdosing from just stepping into a smoke cloud is extraordinarily low.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cExposure to fentanyl can occur when someone ingests fentanyl or a substance containing fentanyl,\u201d she wrote. \u201cCommon 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oregon Health Authority wrote on its website that<\/a> legally manufactured and distributed fentanyl \u201cis prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, especially after surgery and for advanced-stage cancer.\u201d The Colorado Office of School Safety <\/a>found fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine.<\/p>\n

The Oregon report explained that fentanyl is sold through illegal drug markets in pill or tablet form, and \u201cis often added to other drugs, because of its extreme potency, (which make) drugs cheaper, more potent, more addictive and more dangerous.\u201d Additionally, the Colorado Office of School Safety report said \u201cfentanyl cannot be seen, tasted or smelled when mixed into other drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Washington Department of Public Health reported on its website <\/a>that fentanyl can \u201ccause a person\u2019s breathing to slow and stop,\u201d which is what constitutes an overdose. But it also said it is almost impossible to overdose from secondary exposure, and \u201cthere is no evidence of first responders experiencing an overdose from secondhand fentanyl exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n

A study titled \u201cPerceived occupational risk of fentanyl exposure among law enforcement,\u201d published in the International Journal of Drug Policy<\/a>, concluded \u201cthat the risk of overdosing from fentanyl exposure is extremely low for law enforcement and other first responders.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s safety policy. He said the department is not certain why the officer passed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is, was that out of toxicology, or was that out of fear?\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know the answer. We just know that he became lightheaded, started to faint and was immediately provided medical care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

More about fentanyl<\/h4>\n

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<\/a> 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\u2019s front desk and is available over-the-counter at most pharmacies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s very naive to say that there\u2019s no risk, but it\u2019s also naive to say that there\u2019s an extraordinary risk,\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cOur rule of thumb is to prevent people from being exposed to it if we can, particularly our employees, because we don\u2019t know the level of exposure they will receive if it does happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, Gonzalez explained that medical personnel or concerned residents should not be afraid to treat someone suffering from a fentanyl overdose.<\/p>\n

A report titled \u201cPolice reports of accidental fentanyl overdose in the field: Correcting a culture-bound syndrome that harms us all,\u201d published in the National Library of Medicine<\/a>, states that hesitating to treat someone overdosing with Narcan can delay response time in scenarios that \u201crequire rapid response to prevent death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, the same study stated that the premise perpetuates a false idea \u201cthat people who use illicit opioids are inherently dangerous to encounter, (and) that their bodies and belongings are poisonous.\u201d<\/p>\n

sedmondson@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

officials urge caution, but say don\u2019t be scared to administer aid to overdose victims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1065,2025,28,1970],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-16521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-durango-police-department","tag-fentanyl","tag-headlines","tag-la-plata-county-public-health"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16521"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21193,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16521\/revisions\/21193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16521"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=16521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}