US Report-Child Poisonings Up 66 Percent Nationwide in 1 Year
A new report released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) indicates pediatric, or child poisonings, have risen by shocking rates.
Accidental poisonings up 66 percent
The CPSC data report is from the latest information available and compares 2022 rates with those from 2021.
It's part of the efforts being staged during National Poison Prevention Week. The study found 98 children under the age of 5 died from poisoning, an increase of 66 percent over 2021 rates.
According to the report:
"This increase was largely linked to narcotics and psychodysleptics. Deaths in this category nearly doubled in one year, from 33 in 2021 to 59 in 2022.
The report underscored the growing risks associated with these substances, with pediatric poisoning deaths in the U.S. rising steadily since 2019 from a low of 17 deaths in 2018; the lowest since CPSC was created in 1972."
The report also listed the most commonly associated medications with the poisoning incidents, fatal and non-fatal:
- "Acetaminophen incidents increased from an estimated 4,700 related ED-treated injuries to 5,700,
- Ibuprofen incidents increased from an estimated 2,000 related ED-treated injuries to 3,600, and
- Narcotic medication incidents increased from an estimated 1,200 related ED-treated injuries to 2,500."
The CPSC says this data shows the need to increase efforts to store medicines where children cannot reach them, make sure they are contained in child-proof containers, and to make sure dosages are correctly administered to children.
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