Update (August 13, 2021): After a video circulated of a San Diego sheriff appearing to accidentally overdose on a white substance, medical experts say it's highly unlikely that was the case, Complex reported.

On July 3, Deputy David Faiivae appeared to be in the vicinity of a white substance he assumed was either fentanyl or cocaine before being warned by a colleague to take caution. Corporal Scott Crane told Faiivae he was "too close" and warned that the substance was "no joke."

Despite the warnings from Crane that the substance was "super dangerous," medical experts say you simply "cannot overdose through accidental contact."

“You cannot overdose just by touching fentanyl or another opioid and you cannot overdose just by being around it,” Dr. Ryan Marino, medical director of Toxicology & Addiction at University Hospitals, Cleveland, said.

“It will not get into the air and cause anyone to overdose,” he added.

In the video, Faiivae appears to only be in the vicinity of the substance and does not consume it. But experts say the panic of the police department has caused an irrational fear.

In response to medical experts, the county sheriff Bill Gore said he referred to the officer's medical emergency as an overdose due to the similarities of a fentanyl overdose.

“If we were misinformed, so be it. We are trying to correct [it], ”Gore said, adding that his mind never thought that Faiivae was having a panic attack or having a fainting spell.

Original (August 7, 2021): David Faiivae, a San Diego sheriff in training, collapsed after being exposed to fentanyl while processing evidence at the scene of a July 3 arrest, ABC News reports.

After Faiivae collapsed, field training officer Cpl. Scott Crane began administering naloxone, an FDA-approved nasal spray used to reverse the effects of opioids.

“He found a white substance that he suspected was drugs,” Crane said in a video released by The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. “I was like, ‘Hey dude, too close. You can’t get too close to it.’ And a couple seconds later, he took some steps back and collapsed.”

Faiivae said he doesn't remember what happened after he collapsed.

“I remember not feeling right, and then I fall back and I don’t remember anything after that,” he said. “I was trying to gasp for breath, but I couldn’t breathe at all.”

In the body cam footage released by the sheriff's department, Crane cautions his colleague, saying "that's no joke. It's super dangerous."

The trainer then tried to comfort Faiivae while trying to save his life.

"I got you. I'm not gonna let you die," he said.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Fentanyl is "approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin."

"Fentanyl analouges were involved in roughly 2,600 drug overdose deaths each year in 2011 and 2012, but from 2012 through 2018, the number of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioid increased dramatically each year," the USDEA states.

The agency adds that there has been a recent "re-emergence of trafficking, distribution, and abuse of illicitly produced fentanyl."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70% of overdose deaths in the U.S. involved opioids in 2019.

Fentanyl was responsible for 461 fatal overdoses in San Diego County in 2020, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. While some experts say simply touching the drug can cause an overdose, others say casual skin contact with the drug is unlikely to cause an overdose in most cases.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department isn't sure if the fentanyl got onto Faiivae's skin or if he inhaled it. By releasing video of the incident, deputies hope to educate the public about the terrifying risks associated with the drug.

“We are having secondary exposures. We’ve had toddlers exposed. It’s just so very dangerous,” undersheriff Kelly Martinez said.

Sheriff Bill Gore described fentanyl as one of the greatest threats facing the region and country.

“Every week sheriff’s deputies intercept fentanyl entering our (facilities),” he said. “When inmates overdose on fentanyl smuggled into our jails, deputies and nurses are saving dozens of lives every month.”

As Faiivae was loaded into an ambulance last month, his eyes rolled back in his head. According to his colleague, the trainee overdosed the whole way to the hospital.

“It’s an invisible killer,” Crane said. “[Faiivae] would have died in the parking lot if he was alone.”

The sheriff's department is showering Crane with praises.

“He saved his partner’s life that day,” Martinez said.

San Diego sheriff

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