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Technology

Fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid driving the U.S. overdose crisis, is caught up in misinformation

KFF Health News
Summary
Nutrition label

69% Informative

False and misleading narratives on social media, in news reports, and even in popular TV dramas suggest people can overdose from touching fentanyl.

In fact, fentanyl overdoses are commonly caused by ingesting the drug illicitly as a pill or powder.

There is almost no evidence that law enforcement personnel are at heightened risk of accidental overdoses due to such exposures.

Fitch: “If you figure out that pill’s got fentanyl, you better be ready to dispose of it, because you can get it through your fingers” Fitch 's comments underscore growing concerns, often not supported by science, that officers and first responders increasingly face exposure risks during overdose responses.

The risk for a fentanyl overdose from applying mouth-to-mouth is negligible.

VR Score

65

Informative language

65

Neutral language

50

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

66

Offensive language

likely offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

External references

27

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