Here’s an Officer Who Might Have Actually ODed From Fentanyl Contact—but Not Because He Just Touched It

A North Carolina man faces charges of assault with intent to kill for exposing two detectives and a sheriff’s deputy to opioids—possibly fentanyl—during a traffic stop on January 5. One detective reportedly lost consciousness after exposure to the drugs. Given the recent misleading reports of police overdosing by simply touching fentanyl, it’s worth taking a closer look at cases like this.

The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office put out a press release on Friday describing the arrest. The suspect, Lewis Rudolph Brown Drayton, 37, was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over by deputies on Interstate 40 as part of a drug investigation. Drayton allegedly responded by attempting to toss drugs out of the vehicle’s window. Two detectives and a deputy approaching the vehicle were “exposed to a powerful and highly addictive opioid drug,” according to the release. One detective had a reaction and lost consciousness at the scene. He was administered Narcan, which reverses opioid overdoses, and the three were taken to the hospital and treated. He has since been released. The sheriff’s office is testing the drug to find out if there was fentanyl in it.

The vague description of how the detective was “exposed” raised questions. Simply touching fentanyl is not dangerous. And according to a study conducted by the American College of Medical Toxicology and American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, being in proximity to small amounts of open fentanyl only carries risk by inhalation if the person is standing by it for hours.

This has led to a lot of credulous media reports of police overdosing by merely touching fentanyl or breathing in the proximity of the drug for a few moments. Critiques of the police and the media for making this false claim are warranted. While fentanyl is indeed very danger