PORTLAND, Oregon — The Oregon Poison Center is raising concerns about the number of children being exposed to fentanyl in the state of Oregon. Doctors from the Oregon Poison Center, OHSU and Multnomah County released the results from Oregon that will be included as part of a nationwide study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Oregon saw 16 children under the age of six exposed to fentanyl in 2023. In 2020, there were zero such cases reported.
"It comes in a tablet that has a very large amount of fentanyl, and these kids are getting very sick. The more fentanyl in the community, the more likely it is that a child is going to find a tablet and ingest it," said Dr. Rob Hendrickson with the Oregon Poison Center.
The findings follow warnings from the Portland Police in late 2023, who say three children under the age of six died from fentanyl exposure in the city between June and September of last year.
A Hillsboro couple admitted that in March of 2023 their two-year old ingested their fentanyl tablets and had to be revived by first responders.
Oregon Poison Center said that 80% of the cases studied occurred at a child’s home with fentanyl tablets that were easily accessible.
"What is remarkable about these cases are how severe they were. The children are exposed when they are ingesting a tablet to a very large amount of fentanyl which is not common in a single pill of most other things," said Dr. Hendrickson.
If you suspect that a child has ingested fentanyl, experts say to look for signs of sleepiness or a loss of consciousness, shallow or slow breathing or a blue color of the lips or skin. Dr. Hendrickson stressed that it’s acceptable for an overdosing child to receive an adult dosage of Naloxone.