In recent years, poisoning has overtaken firearms as the second leading cause of death from injuries, trending right behind motor vehicle accidents, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report says that death rates for motor-vehicle traffic-related accidents and deaths from firearms decreased from 1979 to 2006, whereas the rate for poisoning more than doubled during the same period. And from 2005 to 2006, the poisoning death rate increased 13 percent, whereas motor-vehicle traffic and firearm death rates remained unchanged.
The CDC defines a poison as "any substance that is harmful to your body when ingested (eaten), inhaled (breathed), injected, or absorbed through the skin. This definition does not include adverse reactions to medications taken correctly." Most deaths from poison are unintentional.
In a second report on poisoning that focused on children, the CDC said that prescription and over-the-counter medications account for almost 7 out of 10 emergency room visits for childhood poisonings. Each year more than 71,000 children ages 18 and younger visit hospital emergency rooms for unintentional medication overdoses. Most of the ingestions are among toddlers.
"Unsupervised medication ingestions caused over 80 percent of the emergency department visits. These emergency department visits for unsupervised ingestions are ten times more common than overdoses from medication errors by a parent or caregiver," said Daniel Budnitz, M.D., the senior study author.
The medications children most often consumed included acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) opioids (such as Percodan) or benzodiazepines (such as Valium and Xanax), cough and cold medicines, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin and ibuprofen), and antidepressants.
One explanation for the increase, according to the report, is that more adults and children are taking medications at home and more are taking multiple medications. "The high frequency of medication usage and the rising number of medications stored in American homes increases the potential for medication overdoses ... especially among children," the report states.
The CDC is working with drug manufacturers to encourage the implementation of passive safety innovations, such as individual dose packets. In the meantime, parents can take some common sense measures to make sure their children don't have access to medications. Put your medications in a locked medicine cabinet or box and be sure to always replace child-resistant caps. When parents of small children visit other people's homes, they should make sure the homeowner's medications are also out of reach. The CDC has more good advice including what to do if a poisoning occurs.
CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
I'm guessing that some access to medication occurs through women's purses, people's pockets, etc., where a medication container might be carried. I've found many homes where medication is simply lined up on a kitchen counter or in a drawer in the bathroom vanity. Even with childproof lids, these ae not safe.
Certainly an important subject and reminder. As a new grandparent I was recently reviewing children's swimming guidelines and one article stated drowning was the number one cause of children's death in states with a high number of home pools and number two in several other states.
I suspect that increased poisoning is due to increased self-medication. More & more folks can't afford proper health care, so they go to the store or medicine cabinet, grab something that may help and hope for the best.
We all need to be aware of our responsibility to keep medicines safe! Legislating safety isn't as safe as it seems. We are supposed to keep household cleaners and alcohol out of childrens' reach. Surely we should be able to keep medicines out of reach as well.
The need for real responsibility awareness is acute, I agree. I don't agree that making packaging more difficult for the majority of responsible users is an appropriate way to make others become more responsible. (I take medicines out of blister packaging for my husband whose hands cannot even open a childproof bottle cap. I then put them in a bottle he can open. Anyone can do that at any time.) Should we have to sign a statement of responsibility when we purchase medicines? Don't know but at least it is an alternative.
I notice that the CDC prominently mentions "use of drugs or chemicals for recreational purposes in excessive amounts, such as an 'overdose' " in its definition of "unintentional poisoning". How come Consumer Reports makes no mention of that in its discussion, AT ALL?
Poisoning isn't just accidentally taking prescription medication (which is the only thing cited by CR) or ingesting drain cleaner. It includes the negative consequences of voluntary, recreational drug use--and you forgot to say so?
How widely available are lockable medicine cabinets? Who sells them? Does anyone work with designers or distributors to make these available for sale to parents? Do landlords who most often create what's available for such storage have any requirements to offer these? If this were in place--subsidies and other/legal support for parents with low income where landlords wouldn't comply?
Sad that there are so many 'accidental' deaths. Not surprised that motor-vehicle traffic-related still cause the most. Hopefully firearms will not rise in the next year, as more people exercise their 2nd Amendment rights to own firearms and protect themselves. We all need to be RESPONSIBLE.
Previous
