Story highlights Police Officer unknowingly wipes off fentanyl off uniform and immediately collapses

Green overdosed on opioid drug by absorbing it through his skin

(CNN) Here's a frightening reminder of the dangers of fentanyl, a powerful opioid that can be lethal even in tiny amounts.

A police officer in East Liverpool, Ohio, collapsed and was rushed to the hospital after he brushed fentanyl residue off his uniform, allowing the drug to enter his system through his hands. The officer had apparently encountered the opioid earlier in the day while making a drug bust.

"This is scary. He could have walked out of the building and left and he could have passed out while he was driving. You don't even know it's there on his clothes," East Liverpool Police Chief John Lane told CNN.

"His wife, kids and his dog could be confronted with it and boom, they're dead. This could never end."

It happened last Friday night after East Liverpool officers made a traffic stop and detained two men they believe were involved in a drug transaction.

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