Two GTA police officers exposed to fentanyl while responding to calls within same week

Two GTA police officers were injured just days apart after they were exposed to fentanyl while on duty.

A Durham police officer was exposed to the drug while arresting a woman following a trespass call at a business in Oshawa last Sunday. The male officer was taken to a local hospital out of precaution and he was medically cleared.

“We can accurately understand that fentanyl would most likely have been on her person in some type of form, whether it be as a powder or a solid pill. If it was powder, it could have been through inhalation or touch and if it was a pill, most likely through a touching manner,” said Cst. Nicholas Gluckstein with Durham Regional Police Service.

Last Tuesday, Toronto police said one of their officers had to be administered naloxone by colleagues after coming in contact with a “toxic drug, possibly fentanyl” while making an arrest.

“Thankfully other officers on scene administered care immediately and the officer was transported to hospital where they were treated and released,” said Chief Myron Demkiw in a social media post.

According to Health Canada, there are “potential risks associated with fentanyl exposure, which vary based on the type of contact,” adding that “Skin exposure to fentanyl powder is extremely unlikely to cause immediate harm.”

A Toronto emergency room doctor says it’s rare he sees first responders in the ER for fentanyl exposure, though there is a rare risk.

“I’ve seen a case where we thought this officer was having a stroke,” explained Dr. Kashif Pirzada. “All the scans were negative but it was actually he touched something that triggered symptoms, that mimicked something like that so it’s definitely hazardous, not very common though.”

Dr. Pirzada says there are added risks when coming into contact with unknown substances.

“These are all synthetic opioids that are being added into the drug supply that are thousands of times more potent than actual fentanyl. All of that adds to the dangers to first responders.”