Are police being dangerously exposed to fentanyl? Some think they've been affected, but no cases have been proven

Illegal drugs outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in
Los Angeles. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, The Associated Press)

Police officers who report symptoms such as heart palpitations or lightheadedness during or after stops are not reacting to fentanyl exposure, reports Brian Mann of North Country Public Radio in the Adirondacks. "Reports of police suffering severe medical symptoms after touching or inhaling powdered fentanyl are common, occurring 'every few weeks' around the U.S., according to experts. . . . Seizures of fentanyl have escalated in recent years and the synthetic opioid is common . . . Many police feel their health is threatened by contact with trace amounts of the drug. . . . But medical experts say it's difficult to get fentanyl into the body. That's why people . . . smoke it or inject it using needles."

Finding proof of a police 'overdose' from brief contact has not materialized. Mann notes, "We contacted numerous law-enforcement and government agencies, as well as researchers around the U.S. . . . We couldn't find a single case of a police officer who reported being poisoned by fentanyl or overdosing after encountering the street drug that was confirmed by toxicology reports." Brandon Del Pozo, a former police chief who studies addiction and drug policy at Brown University, told Mann, "There's never been a toxicologically confirmed case. The idea of it hanging in the air and getting breathed in is highly, highly implausible."

Yet, Mann found an example of police officers convinced that a fentanyl exposure was happening on a call. "Officer Courtney Bannick was on the job for the Tavares, Fla., police department when she came into contact with a powder she believed was street fentanyl. . . . The footage from another officer's body camera shows Bannick appearing to lose consciousness before being lowered to the ground by other cops. . . . Other officers can be heard on the tape describing Bannick's medical condition as an overdose. The Tavares police department blamed the incident on fentanyl. Bannick later told a local television station, "I was light-headed a little bit. . . . I was choking. . . . I couldn't breathe."

Mann explains, "One 2021 case study cited by the CDC of a police department in Ohio found common symptoms described by police included lightheadedness, palpitations, and nausea. Symptoms of stress and fear, not opioid overdose. . . . Del Pozo believes the real risk to police officers from street fentanyl isn't accidental overdose. . . . He said many reported fentanyl overdoses among police involve symptoms that look more like panic attacks than opioid overdoses. . . . [Despite] the risk to police officers from street fentanyl exposure being 'extrememlyl low.' . . . warnings like this one can be found on the Drug Enforcement Administration's website: 'Inhalation of airborne powder is MOST LIKELY to lead to harmful effects, but is less likely to occur than skin contact. . . The Centers for Disease Control website does urge caution, including the wearing of gloves, masks and other protective gear."

When officers read warnings from well-reputed websites, dealing with fentanyl becomes even more stressful. "Speaking on background, some officials suggested to NPR it is safer for warnings to remain in place so police err on the side of caution," Mann reports. "But Ryan Marino, a toxicologist and emergency room physician at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, believes exaggerated fears of fentanyl make it harder for police to do their jobs protecting the public." Marino told Mann, "There has never been an overdose through skin contact or accidentally inhaling fentanyl."