Study: Nearly half of child poisoning deaths caused by opioids
March 10, 2023
A review of poisonings among children five and younger found that opioids contributed to nearly half of deaths from 2005 to 2018, largely from accidental overdoses, according to new research (Source: “Opioids Are Leading Cause of Child Poisoning Deaths, Study Finds,” New York Times, March 8).
The study, published on Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics, analyzed 731 poisoning-related deaths that occurred from 2005 to 2018 across 40 states. The authors found that opioids, a class of synthetic drugs that includes prescribed pain relievers but also illegal narcotics such as heroin and fentanyl, contributed to nearly half, or 47%, of those deaths.
About 41% of the poisoning deaths resulted from accidental overdoses, according to the study, which described 18% as “deliberate” poisonings.