Can I overdose from touching fentanyl? Is this a thing?
– Hiram L.
No, you can not overdose from touching fentanyl.
Misinformation surrounding fentanyl overdose has grown in recent years. Much of the information focuses on accidental overdoses when in contact with fentanyl. Most concerns have been allocated towards first responders who answer reports of drug overdose, especially those involving fentanyl.
These persistent ideas existed as early as 2016 when the United States Drug Enforcement Administration released a press release stating that police departments stock up on protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, because substances, like fentanyl, “can be absorbed through the skin or accidental inhalation of airborne powder.”
Uninformed narratives about skin exposure overdoses were ultimately shared among 551 national, state and local news articles, according to a research study conducted by the organization Changing the Narrative at Northeastern University. The study concluded that the 551 misinformed articles grossed at least 450,111 Facebook shares which spanned nearly 70 million users from 2015 to 2019.
Overdoses involving fentanyl were on the increase in 2016, marking the first time fentanyl overtook heroin as the nation’s most fatal drug with 18,335 deaths, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. At its height in 2022, there were 73,838 deaths involving fentanyl. Deaths have been decreasing over time, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2024 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 48,422 overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, like fentanyl.
“The short, sweet and simple answer, whether you can overdose from touching fentanyl is no,” said Dr. Bryan Marino, a medical toxicologist, emergency physician and addiction medicine specialist at the integrated hospitals at University Hospitals in Cleveland.
Marino has been following these claims of skin contact fentanyl overdoses for years. Through his research and understanding of the chemical make-up of fentanyl, claims of overdoses through skin are not factual.
Most claims, Marino explained, of skin overdoses concern law enforcement from passive exposure to the drug.
“I think the thing that I hear all the time is like, ‘why do I care? Isn’t it better if people are more scared of this?’ Because it is true. I mean, fentanyl is killing lots of people. It is something to also take very seriously. It has a high potential for risk and harm,” Mario said. “But the problem is that these myths cause additional harm themselves… We also see significant delays in people who are truly experiencing a fentanyl overdose, not getting resuscitated when seconds really matter, because people will be scared to go near them or to touch them because of these myths.”
A 2022 study published in the journal Prehospital and Disaster Medicine affirmed these claims after an emergency medicine pharmacist was attempting to dispose of liquid fentanyl. While removing, the pharmacist released a large amount of the drug onto his ungloved wrist, forearm and hand, which had a small laceration. After washing his hands with soap and water, the pharmacist developed no immediate or subsequent symptoms of opioid exposure and then resumed work without incident after evaluation.
“Fentanyl is honestly probably one of the most important medicines. It’s probably in the top five most used medications in the entire world, because it is so useful for so many different applications,” Mario said. “I will have patients in the emergency department or family members turn down fentanyl when it is like the most therapeutic thing that they could receive because they’re scared of it. So making it out to be this kind of like boogeyman, I think, does a disservice to people on both sides of that spectrum, the therapeutic side and the illicit side.”
Marino acknowledges that law enforcement officers are not faking their symptoms in dramatic videos of incidents with fentanyl; however, the symptoms do not mirror fentanyl overdoses.
Quick responses to fentanyl overdoses are vital. The fear of accidental overdoses can mean life or death to those experiencing substance abuse. Fentanyl is not going anywhere anytime soon, but education on how fentanyl truly interacts with the body is the next step in breaking misinformation on the drug.
The overdose reversal drug naloxone is available through Harm Reduction Ohio, Newark Homeless Outreach, and the Licking County Health Department. Support services are also available through Never Use Alone and Safepoint. For help with substance use disorder, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
Thanks for asking away!
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357).
Tyler Thompson writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.