A police officer needed hospital treatment after accidentally inhaling a drug during a car search in the US.

The unnamed officer, from Westmoreland County near Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, had to be revived with an opioid antidote after being exposed to a substance.

Police believe the officer, who did not touch the drug, inhaled either heroin or highly-potent Fentanyl - a painkiller up to 100 times more powerful than morphine.

The incident occurred after police pulled over a suspected drink-driver, who is alleged to have resisted arrest.

Another officer was called to the scene and as he searched Travis Ross' car looking for the 34-year-old's identification, he came into contact with the suspected drug.


Image: A white powder was found in the car

His fellow officers called an ambulance after his heart began to race, with paramedics treating him with two doses of opioid antidote Narcan.

The officer was then taken to a local hospital but has since been released and is expected to make a full recovery.

Two bags of heroin and a powder on the driver's seat were found in the car.

Earlier this month, Chris Green, an officer from East Liverpool in Ohio, collapsed after he handled what was suspected to be Fentanyl.

The officer had worn gloves and a mask when searching a vehicle but, when he returned to his police station, a colleague noticed Mr Green had white powder on his shirt.

He instinctively brushed off the powder with his bare hand and, within a few minutes, collapsed.

Cop overdoses after traffic stop drug exposure

Fentanyl has been known to be absorbed into the body merely through skin contact.

The force in Westmoreland County revealed they had changed their policy on handling suspected drug cases after learning of Mr Green's collapse.

In recent years, several American states have been hit by a wave of Fentanyl-related deaths as part of an overdose epidemic across the country.

The crisis saw former US president Barack Obama pour £4.3m into efforts to tackle the illegal supply of the deadly drug.

There have been recent warnings drugs contaminated with Fentanyl and its more powerful variant Carfentanyl could have made their way onto UK streets.