'You can brush it right off': Medical pros combat fentanyl misinformation so people aren't discouraged from helping
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A viral video shows a Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputy getting Narcan because he believed he overdosed after being exposed to fentanyl.
But medical experts say that's not possible.
Amanda De Leon is the Community Integration Manager with Community Medical Services. She told us, "By simply touching fentanyl, that you're going to overdose from it, is one of the huge myths from it. We don't want people to be too scared to administer Narcan to somebody."
We're using that video to tackle myths about fentanyl because doctors say unwarranted fears are leading to more unnecessary deaths. The experts say if people falsely believe touching fentanyl or just being near it is dangerous, they will not help people who actually need it.
There's a story going around the Milwaukee area about an alleged fentanyl contact overdose that may not be as it seems. Contact overdoses are extremely unlikely. A quick explainer:
— Adam Rife (@AdamRifeReports) August 29, 2023
One doctor said he's seen that happen. And during a true overdose, every second could mean the difference between life or death.
De Leon said, "I just don't want people to be scared, right? I want people to be able to know that to just save somebody's life."
But inaccurate information could scare people off from helping in an emergency.
Dr. Ryan Marino is a medical toxicologist, an emergency physician, and an addiction specialist at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He told us, "It makes it harder to stop fentanyl overdoses when people don't have accurate information."
The viral video shows the aftermath of a crash scene. A responding Milwaukee County deputy was wearing gloves as he looked through a car.
BACKGROUND: On Friday, an MCSO deputy responded to a crash. He searched the vehicle & found a sweater. He believes that sweater exposed him to fentanyl because he started immediately feeling dizzy. Here is body cam video from the scene, in which he describes what he was feeling: pic.twitter.com/WvzHoYME3Y
— Adam Rife (@AdamRifeReports) August 29, 2023
At a later interview, Deputy Adriean Williams told us, "I lifted the sweater, and at that point I must have been exposed to what I believe to be fentanyl. Immediately after, I felt the effects of it. I began… I became inert."
The deputy told us he immediately felt dizzy, his head hurt, and his balance was off.
But medical experts say fentanyl has to enter the bloodstream to cause an overdose. And actual fentanyl overdose symptoms are much more severe.
De Leon said they include, "Unresponsiveness. Cold, clammy skin. You turn blue. You're not responsive, you're not talking. You're laying there. You can't see that person breathing anymore."
Noelle Gross is a paramedic supervisor with Bell Ambulance. She said, "A contact won't really mess with us."
She said her crews undergo extensive training for countless overdose calls. "Just that hand-to-hand contact, even if you touch the powder, it's not going to do much. You can brush it right off."
After the interview with the deputy, we went to the experts. A paramedic with Bell Ambulance told us:
— Adam Rife (@AdamRifeReports) August 29, 2023
"A contact won't really mess with us; we are mostly concerned about that patient's airway and breathing." pic.twitter.com/F7dZEy0PLR
More than 100,000 people die every year from overdoses, so every second counts.
Marino has spent years trying to combat fentanyl disinformation so that people are better able to respond to overdoses.
But he said he's seen the negative impacts of misinformation firsthand at overdose scenes. At one scene, "there were actually healthcare professionals there who were not responding to the person, but rather sealing them off."
And while misinformation has spread quickly, Marino hopes the opposite is also true. "I do hope that someday that'll happen for good information."
A spokesperson for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said they believe their deputy in that he felt sick that day. But the spokesperson said they also know medical science says exposure overdoses are not possible.
However, those comments came as they still made the deputy available for interviews claiming he may have overdosed.
Test results on any potential substance from the crash scene are still pending.