Unintentional Poisoning Data & Statistics
Every day in the United States, 87 people die as a result of unintentional poisoning, and another 2,277 are treated in emergency departments (ED).1
A poison is any substance that is harmful to your body when ingested (eaten), inhaled, injected, or absorbed through the skin. Any substance can be poisonous if too much is taken.
Poisonings are either intentional or unintentional. If the person taking or giving a substance did not mean to cause harm, then it is an unintentional poisoning.
Poisoning Statistics
- Unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States increased by 160% from 1999 to 2009.1
- Unintentional poisoning was the second leading cause of unintentional injury death behind motor vehicle crashes in 2009.1
- Among people 25 to 64 years old, unintentional poisoning caused more deaths than motor vehicle crashes.1
- In 2009, 91 percent of unintentional poisoning deaths were caused by drugs. Opioid pain medications were most commonly involved, followed by cocaine and heroin.2
Prescription Drug Overdoses
Drug overdose death rates in the US have more than tripled since 1990.
Graphic source: Policy Impact: Prescription Painkiller Overdoses
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)
Vital Signs: Overdoses of Prescription Opioid Pain Relievers --- United States, 1999--2008 (Published November 1, 2011)
Drug Overdose Deaths --- Florida, 2003--2009 (Published July 8, 2011)
Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids among Medicaid enrollees—Washington, 2004-2007 (Published October 30, 2009)
Unintentional poisoning deaths—United States, 1999-2004 (Published February 9, 2007)
Additional Data Sources
Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars
WISQARSTM (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) is an interactive database system that provides customized reports of injury-related data.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
www.cdc.gov/brfss/
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the world’s largest, on-going telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the United States yearly since 1984. Currently, data are collected monthly in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research )
http://wonder.cdc.gov
WONDER an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the information resources of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available to public health professionals and the public at large. It provides access to a wide array of public health information.
CDC Data & Statistics
www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics
The CDC Data & Statistics web site features interactive tools, surveys, publications, databases, and more.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2012) [cited 2012 Feb 1]. Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Wide-ranging OnLine Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) [online]. (2012) Available from URL: http://wonder.cdc.gov/mortsql.html.
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