Arlington, WA- Three Arlington Police Officers were taken to the hospital after they each had a violent reaction to breathing second-hand heroin smoke during an arrest.
According to a release by the Arlington Police Department, on Monday August 14th, 2017, three Arlington Police Officers received second-hand heroin smoke exposure while conducting a warrant arrest inside a hotel room in the 2200 block of State Route 530.
The Officers began exhibiting side-effects after returning to the Police Department to complete paperwork after the arrest. The Officers symptoms included nausea, headache, and vomiting. The three Officers were transported by the Police Department to the Emergency Room at Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington for medical evaluation and decontamination.
Photo Courtesy of Arlington Police Department
The Officers clothing were taken to Arlington Fire House 46 for decontamination using the Fire Departments extractor.
A professional cleaning company that specializes in decontamination was brought in to decontaminate four police vehicles, three police workstations, and a restroom.
Arlington Police say it is not unusual for Officers and Firefighters to be exposed to substances like this on a daily basis. What is unusual is the violent reaction that all three Officers had to the exposure.
The illegal substance, believed to be heroin is being tested to determine if it was laced with fentanyl.
According to Drugs.com, Fentanyl, also known as fentanil, is an opioid pain medication (narcotic) with a rapid onset and short duration of action. It is a potent agonist of μ-opioid receptors. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, but some fentanyl analogues, which are designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, may be as much as 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is used as part of anesthesia to help prevent pain after surgery or other medical procedures.
One person was taken into custody during the incident by Washington State Department of Corrections for a felony drug violation and outstanding warrants.
The Hotel room is currently closed to rentals until the Snohomish County Department of Health completes testing of the room and deems it clear of contaminates.
All three Officers were released from the Hospital and have returned to full duty.
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