The sheriff's department released the footage to warn against the dangers of fentanyl, but it’s being doubted by some medical experts, who say it is impossible to overdose on the drug simply through airborne exposure.
Dramatic bodycam footage released by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department purporting to show a deputy collapsing after briefly handling fentanyl is drawing skepticism from medical experts.
David Faiva and his partner were making a drug arrest when Faiva suddenly had trouble breathing and fell over to the ground, the video shows.
Faiva was believed to be suffering from an accidental overdose after exposure to the deadly opioid. His partner began to administer Narcan, a medication that works to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
“Fire department got there, put him on the gurney. His eyes rolled back in his head and he started to OD again. He was OD'ing the whole way to the hospital,” his partner said in the video.
Fortunately, the deputy survived and made a full recovery.
The sheriff's department released the footage to warn against the dangers of fentanyl, but it’s being doubted by some medical experts, who say it is impossible to overdose on the drug simply through airborne exposure.
“I can tell you with essentially 100% surety that this was not fentanyl poisoning. When people get fentanyl poisoned, they don't just collapse like that and not moments after an exposure,” Dr. Lewis Nelson, director of medical toxicology at Rutgers’ University Hospital, told Inside Edition.
Nelson says the deputy’s reaction was likely caused by psychological stress, not the drug itself. And while the PSA may have been well-intentioned, Nelson warns the misinformation could risk lives.
“I'm very concerned that they're not going to respond to somebody who actually needs medical assistance,” Nelson said.
The sheriff's department says the video was an actual incident and that the substance did test positive for fentanyl.
