Half of All Child-Poisoning Deaths Caused by Opioids, New Study Finds

Opioids are now the most common cause of poisoning deaths in children five and younger, according to a recent study. The authors say some of the danger is coming from new opioid sources such as heroin, fentanyl, and methadone.

For the study, researchers analyzed deaths attributed to poisoning, overdose, or acute intoxication in a national database and found opioids accounted for 52% of poisoning-related deaths in young children in 2018. That's up from 24% in 2005.

Of the 731 fatalities identified, 42% involved infants. The results also show the majority of the poisoning-related fatalities occurred in a child's home.

The authors say while medication safety initiatives have reduced drug exposures, they don't apply to illicit opioids or all prescription opioids. Further study is needed to better understand how infants and young children can be harmed by specific types of opioids.