Unintentional poisoning deaths on the rise...

Disturbing statistics from this week's MMWR indicate that unintentional death from poisoning is the second leading cause of unintentional death (#1 is motor-vehicle crashes):

The mortality increases might be the result of greater use and abuse of potentially lethal prescription drugs in recent years, behaviors that are more common among whites than nonwhites (6,7). The substantial increase in deaths among persons aged 15--24 years is consistent with substantial recent increases in recreational prescription drug and cocaine use among adolescents and young adults (8).

Studies by state health agencies have reported recent increases in prescription-drug--poisoning mortality in rural communities (9,10), despite historically higher rates in urban areas. The South and Midwest regions, which had the largest relative and absolute increases among regions in this study, are the most rural regions of the country (4). Further research is needed to determine how differences in drug use, drug-abuse--control measures, and demographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity) contribute to this pattern.

As with any study, there are limitations; click here to read the report.