Can fentanyl exposure lead to overdose? Despite cases of police sent to hospital, research says it's unlikely

Over the past month in Ontario, officers with three different police agencies were taken to hospital following exposure to fentanyl — but research suggests exposure to the drug carries little danger, and some advocates warn misconceptions about the risk can have their own harmful consequences.

On Sunday, police in Durham Region said an officer was taken to hospital after being exposed to fentanyl while making an arrest in Oshawa. That followed similar incidents involving officers from Brantford and Toronto police on Dec. 3 and 17, respectively. Those officers were also taken to hospital, according to police.

But research from the federal health agency and even Canada's national police service suggests there is no significant risk of poisoning simply from exposure to the drug. 

Harm reduction workers like Diana Chan McNally, based in Toronto, say police announcements about medical risks to officers exposed to fentanyl can perpetuate misinformation.

"The only way that you're going to overdose if you're in contact with fentanyl is if you ingest it, you actually inject it, you rub it into your epithelial tissues, like the inside of your mouth, your nose, or into your eyes," McNally said.

"This is unfortunately a myth," she said. 

McNally says it's not unusual, or unsafe, for frontline workers and emergency responders to come into contact with fentanyl on the job.

"I've intervened in a number of overdoses in the past, which means that I've absolutely come into contact with fentanyl, and I know this directly now," she said. "You cannot be poisoned if you're casually in contact with fentanyl, and I think that's the key here."

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is tens of times more potent than morphine and can be prescribed to treat severe pain, though it's also taken illegally. An overdose of fentanyl can slow breathing and decrease the amount of oxygen reaching the brain, potentially causing brain damage or death.

On its website, Health Canada says "skin exposure to fentanyl is extremely unlikely to immediately harm you" and that it can be safely removed with soap and water.

Symptoms of overdose include but aren't limited to shallow breathing, decrease in consciousness and pinpoint pupils, the health agency says. Nausea, dizziness, rapid heart rate and "feeling ill" are more in line with heat injuries, dehydration and adrenaline responses, it adds.

The agency also advises wearing gloves, masks and safety glasses when handling any suspicious substance, such as suspected fentanyl. 

"Worn correctly, personal protective equipment will protect you," it says.

The RCMP reviewed its approach to fentanyl in 2019, saying then that the risk of overdosing from skin exposure to fentanyl was unlikely.