LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– In a time where more and more people are being exposed to deadly amounts of fentanyl and other various drugs. News 10 spoke to those in the health care field who say there are multiple ways that these drugs can be ingested into your system and stressed the importance of staying vigilant.

News 10 spoke with a Shauna Sias, a licensed practical nurse, who taught the various ways medications and drugs can enter the system: from pills, crushed, epidural, buccal, and transdermal.

The latter being similar to the case of Cody Mullen previously discussed on News 10.

Sias told News 10, “With transdermal; trans means “across”, derm meaning ‘skin.’ This is where you would actually put it on your skin. So, is fentanyl able to be picked up off of money or anything else? Absolutely.

Reactions can also vary from person to person due to factors like height and weight, but the potency of fentanyl can still see fatal outcomes.

“It’s 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin, and it’s 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.” Sias said. “So, it doesn’t matter the route of fentanyl, if it is in excess of what that person whose body can tolerate, it will result in fatal effects.

With residue being found on various objects including money, the risk of being exposed to these deadly drugs continues to be more likely if people aren’t vigilant.

“Be diligent, be safe all the time. I don’t care if it’s $200 laying on the ground, don’t pick that up or just to even pick up trash in your neighborhood. Don’t use your bare hands. You could have a cut or hangnail. That is an entrance way. Intact skin is the body’s first defense, but it’s also a route of administration for medications to get in.” Sias said.

By taking these precautions, like using gloves when handling money or other various objects, it could be an act that could save your life.

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