SPOKANE, Wash. – It’s clear that fentanyl is a dangerous drug to ingest and poses a major public health challenge. However, brief skin or secondhand smoke exposure is unlikely to cause an overdose.
According to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), brief secondary exposure to fentanyl is not life-threatening in the vast majority of circumstances.
“You can’t overdose just by touching fentanyl. In fact, there are no confirmed cases of overdose from touching fentanyl powder or pills. While fentanyl can be absorbed across the skin, this happens only with constant direct contact over hours and days,” the DOH said.
While there has been understandable public concern that any exposure to fentanyl could cause an immediate overdose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, first responders don’t overdose from fentanyl if they are briefly exposed to the substance.
Anyone who is exposed to fentanyl should leave the area immediately. While not deadly in the significant majority of cases, any exposure to the illicit substance should be avoided.
