Shocking footage released by Florida police last week showed an officer falling to the ground after being exposed to deadly fentanyl during a routine traffic stop.
His quick-thinking colleague “saved his life” by administering Narcan, an anti-opioid drug.
At least that’s what was claimed.
The video released by the Flagler County Police Department was labeled “irresponsible misinformation” by experts who reviewed it for .
The department’s suggestion that the officer, Deputy Nick Huzior, may have died after having the substance blown up his nose in a gust of wind was dismissed as unscientific nonsense.
Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Huzior was hospitalized after handling fentanyl during a routine traffic stop. But police claims that he could have died after being blown into his nose by a gust of wind have been dismissed by the scientific community
Former Police Chief Brandon del Pozo has criticized Florida police over footage allegedly showing an officer suffering from fentanyl poisoning after apparently inhaling the deadly drug
The experts say it is more likely that he suffered a panic attack.
Ingesting even the smallest traces of fentanyl can be fatal, but toxicologists have consistently warned that the risk of an overdose from accidentally inhaling or handling fentanyl is “extremely small,” as opposed to injecting it or smoking it.
But for years, police chiefs have been spreading videos that suggest the opposite.
In December, police in Tavares, Fla., released bodycam footage showing the moment a police officer nearly died after apparently being exposed to fentanyl during a traffic stop.
And back in 2017, when an Ohio police officer collapsed and was hospitalized, police chiefs claimed he overdosed on fentanyl after wiping a few spots of the substance off his uniform.
Time and time again, the scientific community debunks these misleading claims, leaving senior management red-faced.
Police’s dramatized claims – and the bizarre way they say they came into contact with the drug – have even been compared to a Looney Tunes understanding of science.
Brandon del Pozo, a former Burlington police chief, said the Florida incident was “the thousandth time” he’s seen such a claim, but added, “It’s never actually been about fentanyl exposure.”
Del Pozo said the allegations prompted scary officials who believed “invisible particles could kill them at any second.”
The question arises: why do the police carry on like this?
“The wind blew it up his nose, but we could be wrong…”
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is about 100 times more potent than morphine, only poses a serious risk when it is intentionally taken, e.g. B. by injection, snuffing or smoking – and not by accidental exposure.
The Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) has identified cases where officers have required medical attention after accidental exposure to opioids, including fentanyl, but the symptoms have never been severe.
In these cases, fentanyl was also never confirmed as the cause of the symptoms by a toxicological report.
Huzior made a full recovery and was back on the road the next day
A Florida police officer’s body camera captured the moment he saved another police officer from apparent fentanyl exposure during a routine traffic stop
Footage begins after a suspect is stopped at a traffic stop. Inside, the police found a lot of drugs, pills, alcohol, and other substances. Deputy Nick Huzior begins inspection
Huzior quickly staggers to his colleague’s squad car and complains that he feels “really dazed”. Knowing that the narcotics Huzior tested could contain fentanyl. Deputy First Class Kyle Gaddie (seen here) dispensed a dose of Narcan, a drug used to reverse the effects of a fentanyl overdose
Believing his colleague is still suffering the effects of fentanyl exposure, Gaddie is seen crouching imperturbably at Huzior’s side, whispering words of encouragement
“I’m really dizzy,” Huzior says in the clip released by his superiors on Friday, before he was finally taken to a nearby hospital, where he was still recovering on Saturday. “My heart is beating really fast”
Gaddie continued to speak reassuring words to his distraught companion as several firefighters arrived at the scene
An ambulance arrives and Huzior is loaded onto a stretcher into the emergency vehicle
In a statement on Saturday, officials said Huzior was still recovering from the shock and confirmed the substance he was handling was fentanyl
Sheriff Rick Staly is seen with Huzior’s rescuer Gaddie, whom he praised for his heroic actions on Saturday
Still, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement that what happened to his deputy was “a perfect example of the dangers law enforcement faces every day from poison on the road.”
Video released by the department shows Deputy Huzior testing a white powder after hitting a hit-and-run suspect on the side of the road.
Huzior immediately goes to a colleague parked in a nearby squad car and complains that he feels “very lightheaded” and that his heart is going “crazy”.
His colleague, Deputy Kyle Gaddie, administers narkan, an act Sheriff Staly hailed as “potentially” life-saving.
Huzior was taken to a nearby hospital, where he made a full recovery.
According to a police statement, the narcotics he handled tested positive for fentanyl.
However, the department refused to release Huzior’s medical report, which would have confirmed whether or not his reaction was caused by exposure to fentanyl.
Flagler County invoked doctor privacy, which del Pozo said was inconsistent with reporting the officer’s symptoms.
It’s not clear from the video how the officer allegedly ingested the drug, but a Flagler County Police spokesman told : “The theory is that he touched the drugs… we’re not sure how it happened , but it was a…’ It was a windy day and it might have blown his nose.’
When asked how this jibed with the expert opinion that fentanyl poisoning was unlikely this way, the spokesperson admitted, “We could be wrong.”
The police statement looks more like a cartoon than science
dr Ryan Marino, a toxicologist at Case Western Reserve University, called the statement “absurd”.
“The image of a substance being gently and discreetly lifted by the wind and then blowing perfectly through a person’s nose without them ever noticing is something that would happen with apple pies in cartoons, not physical solids in the real world “, he said.
He told that the primary signs of fentanyl poisoning or overdose are unresponsiveness and difficulty breathing.
“The fact that the deputy speaks and breathes clearly throughout the video means I can definitely say he hasn’t experienced any side effects from fentanyl,” added Marino.
“The symptoms he describes are almost the complete opposite of the effects I would expect from fentanyl or other opioids, as fentanyl is expected to lower heart rate rather than cause ‘palpitations’ and increase feelings of anxiety and restlessness remove.”
Both Marino and del Pozo stressed that they didn’t believe Huzior was faking any symptoms, saying they simply weren’t due to fentanyl.
Marino highlighted a phenomenon known as the “nocebo” effect, which is essentially the opposite of the placebo effect and causes someone to experience real symptoms when they genuinely believe something could harm them.
Medical misinformation puts lives at risk
Del Pozo blames the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for creating the “myth” that cops are at serious risk of exposing second-hand fentanyl, which he says has “plagued innocent cops for years.” .
In 2017, former DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg appeared in a video urging police to classify fentanyl as a major risk.
“Fentanyl is deadly,” he warned. “Contact with an amount equivalent to a few grains of sand can be fatal.”
But a few months later, toxicology researchers published a report contradicting that assessment.
The American College of Medical Toxicology and the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology have issued a joint statement clarifying that “there is a risk of clinically significant exposure.” [to fentanyl] “The number of emergency responders is extremely small.”
But Del Pozo said the DEA never corrected the record.
In fact, the website still includes a warning to police stating “breathing air pollutants.” [fentanyl] Powder most likely leads to harmful effects.
Perhaps this is why police officers still seem ignorant of scientific reality.
“Most officers are under the impression that just by touching fentanyl, they can suffer Huzior’s reaction,” a Flagler County Police Department source told
“Maybe we need better education, but we don’t have that yet.”
Del Pozo said the failure to educate officials could be the reason for a spate of panic attacks triggered by unfounded fears of fentanyl poisoning, which he says happened to Huzior.
He said police chiefs were making officers’ lives “intolerable” by perpetuating “harmful myths” surrounding the drug.
“Police officers deserve better,” he added. “They don’t deserve to live in unfounded fear and panic that invisible particles could kill them at any second.”
Marino said the “irresponsible misinformation” is preventing officials from providing life-saving treatments to people “who are, in fact, overdosing”.
A DEA official told that it “rigorously followed CDC guidelines for preventing occupational exposure to fentanyl.”
Are the police using fentanyl videos as political capital?
As to why the police continue to peddle such untruths, experts believe ignorance is clearly an issue.
In August 2021, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department released a video purporting to show a deputy intern collapsing and nearly dying after apparent exposure to fentanyl.
When the video drew backlash from toxicologists, Sheriff Bill Gore admitted the video was produced without the intervention of doctors and said he was “shocked” by the response from the medical community.
But “there’s more to it than mere ignorance,” says Marino.
Given the amount released, the toxicologist finds it hard to believe that an entire police department “never saw corrective information” on the subject.
He said an alternative explanation for why the videos are still being circulated is that “even if corrected, they still generate political capital for the departments.”
Marino said this is helping to boost funding for “nonsensical scam products” like “fentanyl-resistant” gloves.
Worse, the scientist stressed that misinformation about the risks fentanyl poses to public officials has led to the addition of criminal charges such as endangerment of public officials and drug offenses, and increased penalties “for something that is scientifically impossible.”
Whatever the reason for the continued proliferation of medical myths, it’s clear that Marino – and the scientific community – are at their wit’s end.
“It has been more than six years since major expert groups have issued opinions, evidence reviews and extensive press coverage,” Marino said.
“If you thought you would get radiation poisoning from polonium exposure, would you ignore nuclear physicists?” I doubt it. Why are drugs and especially fentanyl an exception to common sense and reason?