IPW: Healthy People 2010 Injury Prevention Objectives

Healthy People 2010 - With Annotations

Chapter 15

Injury and Violence Prevention
Lead Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Goal: Reduce injuries, disabilities, and deaths due to unintentional injuries and violence.

15-8. Reduce deaths caused by poisonings.

Target: 1.8 death per 100,000 population.

Baseline: 5.8 deaths per 100,000 population were caused by poisonings in 1998 (preliminary data; age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population).

Target setting method: Better than the best.

Data sources: National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), CDC, NCHS; NEISS, CPSC.

Total Population, 1997* (unless noted)	Poisoning Deaths Rate per 100,000
TOTAL	6.6
Race and ethnicity
American Indian or Alaska Native	8.0
Asian or Pacific Islander	2.0
Asian	DNC
Native Hawaiian - Pacific Islander	DNC
Black or African American	8.1
White	6.6
Hispanic or Latino	5.7
Cuban	3.1
Mexican	4.6
Puerto Rican	12.7
Not Hispanic or Latino	6.7
Black or African American	8.3
White	6.6
Gender
Female	3.9
Male	9.4
Education level (aged 25 to 64 years)
Less than high school	16.2
High school graduate	13.8
At least some college	5.7
Select populations
Unintentional poisoning	3.3 (1996)
Suicide	2.0 (1996)
Homicide	DSU (1996)

DNA=Data have not been analyzed. DNC=Data are not collected. DSU=Data are statistically unreliable.

Note: Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population.

*New data for population groups will be added when available.

Children are at significantly greater risk from poisoning death and exposure than adults because children are more likely to ingest potentially harmful chemicals. In 1995, 80 children aged 14 years and under died from poisoning. Children aged 4 years and under accounted for nearly half of these deaths. In 1996, more than 1.1 million unintentional poisonings among children aged 5 years and under were reported to U.S. poison control centers. Approximately 90 percent of all poison exposures occur at a residence.(31)

In 1996, 29 children aged 5 years and under died from exposure to medicines and household products. Among children aged 5 years and under, 60 percent of poisoning exposures come from nonpharmaceutical products such as cosmetics, cleaning substances, plants, foreign bodies, toys, pesticides and art supplies; 40 percent come from pharmaceuticals. Immediately calling a poison control center can reduce the likelihood of severe poisoning, decrease the cost of a poisoning incident, and prevent the need for a hospital emergency department (ED) visit.

The total annual cost of poisoning-related injury and death exceeds $7.6 billion among children aged 14 years and under. Children aged 4 years and under account for $5.1 billion, or two-thirds, of these costs. Medical expenses associated with a poisoning exposure average $925 per case. The average cost of hospital treatment for a poisoning exposure is $8,700.(32)

Healthy People 2010 - With Annotations

Read Operational Definition for this Objective

Read Overview of Injuries

Back to HP 2010 Injury Objectives Page