SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The San Diego County Sheriff's Department video of a deputy, who they say overdoses on fentanyl just by touching the drug, is facing more scrutiny.
On Thursday night, the Sheriff’s Department released the full bodycam video from both deputies. Each lasted more than 50 minutes.
The department said, the video is serving as a public service announcement about the dangers of fentanyl.
News 8 showed the videos to a doctor and a toxicologist who say, after seeing the video in full, they’re now lead to further believe this is not an opioid or fentanyl overdose.
"The chance of actually accidentally overdosing by being near or around fentanyl is almost impossible and there's been few to no recorded cases anywhere," said Dr. Brandon del Pozo, who is a former police chief and specializes in substance abuse.
Dr. del Pozo said something is visibly medically wrong with Deputy Faiivae, who is the deputy who suffers the alleged overdose in the video, but Dr. del Pozo said it is not an overdose.
"I don't think for a second this officer staged this. I think that when you look at the genuine concern of the training officer. It didn't strike me as people putting on a show," said Dr. del Pozo. "There could be a psychosomatic component to thinking you're about to die and falling over even though nothing is going on with the opioids. All they know from what they've heard is, that it can kill them in seconds. It elevates their heart rate, it could cause fainting or a panic attack."
Ryan Marino, a medical toxicologist, agrees.
"The nocebo effect is when you think something is going to hurt you or cause you harm. And you can experience negative symptoms," said Marino
Marino said now that he's seen the full, unedited bodycam video, he's even more convinced that this isn't an opioid overdose.
"He doesn't ever stop breathing, he's kind of rigid, eyes open, all of that stuff is just not consistent with what I see," said Marino. "This was some sort of stress or fear reaction from just being around something like fentanyl."
Marino said the video is causing more confusion at a time when the dangers of fentanyl and other opioids are real.
The video is still posted as a PSA on the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department YouTube page with more than 2 million views in just eight days.
Marino continued to say the video leaves viewers – and other first responders like police and deputies who may come into contact with fentanyl - in the position to have more of these types of “nocebo” reactions unnecessarily.
"Law enforcement has a difficult job. They're in difficult situations all the time," said Marino. "So, if we're able to take one more worry or one more stressor off the table for them that's great."
The department also claimed the deputy who "overdosed" was not given a toxicology screening at the hospital he was taken to after the incident.
There's no way to confirm or verify if this was an opioid overdose from fentanyl or not.
However, this is a normal procedure because doctors News 8 talked to say, hospitals don't have to test for drugs to treat overdose patients.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego Sheriff's Department says toxicology not screened for deputy in 'fentanyl overdose' video (August 2021)