IT'S LONG COVID:

"It's extremely unlikely that law enforcement officials or other first responders will experience an overdose after brief, unintentional exposure while caring for individuals who used opioids," said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and CNN medical analyst.

Wen explained that opioids "are not well-absorbed through the skin except through prolonged exposure" and, outside biowarfare situations, are "not aerosolized and inhaled through the air."

Data also suggests that first responders featured in such stories have likely not suffered a fentanyl overdose. A 2021 research paper published in the International Journal of Drug Policy said the symptoms described in hundreds of accounts of first responders who reportedly overdosed on opioids tend to match the symptoms of panic or anxiety attacks, rather than those associated with fentanyl overdoses. And, critically, it found there are no confirmed cases of an officer having an overdose after touching fentanyl.

When some local outlets in Florida later attempted to question the police narrative about the purported officer overdose, including proof of the drug's presence, they were met with resistance. "No documents or evidence can be shared until the case is closed," including the officer's medical records, the department said.

Despite the evidence being withheld from the public, Wen said it's unlikely that fentanyl was the culprit.

"Reports involving first responders who sought medical care following exposure generally did not find opioids in their system," Wen said. "Much of the time, their symptoms were consistent with panic attacks (i.e. shortness of breath manifesting as gasping for breath-versus opioid overdose results in loss of consciousness that then depresses respiration)."

Tweet   @brothersjudd