JEMS: Fentanyl Facts and Fiction: A Safety Guide for First Responders

Fentanyl is a very potent synthetic opioid that has been used to treat pain by medical providers since 1960. However, it has now become a commonly abused drug and is 50x times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl contaminated drugs are thought to be the culprit for the peak death rate from drug overdoses nationwide in 2017 when approximately 72,000 Americans died. There is a growing fear that passive exposure to fentanyl transdermally or even when it is aerosolized can lead to an overdose, however, there is no toxicological evidence to support the claim. To read more about the controversy, click here.