Photo: Dave Basner
If you have a yard, you know that you might randomly find things in it, from litter to weeds to animal poop. Well recently, some people have been discovering money in their yards, but if that happens to you, while you might think it's your lucky day, it is anything but. In fact, you could be in danger, and police are warning residents not to even touch the cash.
One warning was shared by the Lane County Sheriff's Office in Kansas after an incident that occurred there. They posted on Facebook, "In recent years, there have been numerous reports of people discovering folded one dollar bills that contain illegal and potentially dangerous drugs. While using folded money or paper to transport drugs has long been a common practice, the emergence of substances like Fentanyl has made it exceptionally hazardous." The post continued, "Earlier this afternoon, a citizen contacted the on-duty Deputy to report that they had found a folded one dollar bill in their yard. Upon unfolding it, a white substance spilled out. The bill was confiscated and field tested positive for Methamphetamine. Further field tests for Opiates and Fentanyl were negative."
The authorities concluded the warning stating, "It is important to remain vigilant about potential hazards in your surroundings."
You might think such a strange occurrence would be a one-off event, but that's not the case, and other police departments have posted about similar incidents and alerted residents about the dangers of handling Fentanyl. They aren't alone - even the Drug Enforcement Administration put out a warning in 2016 that said, "Fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin or accidental inhalation of airborne powder can also occur. Just touching fentanyl or accidentally inhaling the substance during enforcement activity or field testing the substance can result in absorption through the skin. The onset of adverse health effects, such as disorientation, coughing, sedation, respiratory distress or cardiac arrest is very rapid and profound, usually occurring within minutes of exposure." Three years later, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention released a similar warning.
It should be noted though that according to the American College of Medical Toxicology and the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, those warnings aren't accurate and the risk of exposure to fentanyl causing any adverse effects is actually very low. One study shows it would actually take 200 minutes of breathing fentanyl at very high concentrations to have an effect, and that effect would not be fatal.
Regardless, one thing is for sure: Always be mindful of any cash you find - it might be too good to be true.