No, you’re not going to overdose by accidentally touching a small amount of fentanyl, according to health experts.
There is a common misconception that if you touch fentanyl either by coming across a white powder or touching an object with fentanyl on it that you’ll overdose. Health experts are working to make it clear that this is not true.
“It is a common misconception that fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin, but it is not true for casual exposure. You can’t overdose on fentanyl by touching a doorknob or dollar bill. The one case in which fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin is with a special doctor-prescribed fentanyl skin patch, and even then, it takes hours of exposure,” said Daniel Colby, assistant professor and co-medical director for the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Health.