Possible fentanyl exposure sends police officer to hospital in Silicon Valley

A police officer in the Silicon Valley city of Los Altos was taken to a hospital Monday after possibly being exposed to fentanyl, authorities said.

Fire and hazardous materials crews responded to the Los Altos Police Department shortly before 9:30 a.m. for what may have been fentanyl exposure, an official with the Santa Clara County Fire Department said.

One officer was taken to a hospital with symptoms that did not appear to be life-threatening, the official said.

Additional details about the incident weren’t immediately available.

Fire crews were still on the scene at 11 a.m.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s up to 100 times stronger than morphine and has been responsible for a growing number of U.S. overdose deaths each year.