For Canadians aged 1-4 years, 15% of unintentional injury hospitalizations are poisonings.¹

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OVERVIEW

Any substance consumed in excess can result in poisoning.

Poisoning is a significant factor in both unintentional and intentional injury-related deaths, as well as in injury hospitalizations, in BC.² In 2021/22, unintentional poisoning ranked as the second highest cause of injury hospitalizations for children aged 4 years and younger in BC. Unintentional poisoning is one of the top five causes of injury hospitalizations among 5 to 84-year-olds.³ In 2020, over a third of all cases reported to poison centres across Canada involved children aged 5 years and younger.⁴

Substances that result in a poisoning, and the populations at risk of poisoning, vary greatly by intent and lethality. Alcohol, drugs, or medicinal agents are the main substances that result in over 90% of unintentional poisoning deaths and 85% of poisoning hospitalizations.

Poisoning in Young Children

Medication (including prescribed and over-the-counter) is the leading cause of poisoning in children. Other products that can be poisonous to children include:

• Alcohol
• Button batteries (coin or watch batteries)
• Household cleaners (detergent pods, bleach)
• Personal hygiene products (mouthwash, nail polish)
• Garden products
• Car fluids (windshield fluid, oil)
• Cannabis products (oils, edibles)

Poisoning in Teenagers and Adults

Both unintentional and intentional poisonings are common injuries among Canadian teenagers and adults. Common substances involved include:

• Acetaminophen and ibuprofen
• Opioids and illicit drugs
• Alcohol
• Antidepressants
• Cannabis products

Poisoning in Older Adults

Unintentional poisoning among older adults typically involves:

• Prescribed or over-the-counter medications
• Consuming the wrong medication or incorrect dose
• Alcohol

Intentional poisoning may also occur, commonly involving:

• Pain medication
• Sedatives

Among Canadians aged 10-17 years, poisoning accounted for 88% of intentional self-harm hospitalizations in girls and 82% in boys.⁵

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RESEARCH

The cost of poisoning in BC (2023)

Poisoning from substances—such as illicit drugs, prescribed and over-the-counter medications, alcohol, pesticides, gases, and household cleaners—is the leading cause of injury-related death and the second leading cause for injury-related hospital admission in BC. We examined the health and economic costs of poisoning in BC for 2016, using a societal perspective, to support public health policies aimed at minimizing losses to society. Results were published in CMAJ Open.

Cannabis poisonings among children and youth at BC Children's Hospital: Impact of the national cannabis legislation (2020)

The first study described the events and circumstances preceding children aged 16 years and younger being treated for cannabis poisoning in the emergency department (ED) of a Canadian pediatric hospital, prior to the national cannabis legislation. A follow-up study is looking at ED visits for cannabis poisoning at the same hospital post-legislation. Read the results of the first study.

The relationship between injury, opioid prescribing, and overdose and overdose death in BC (2022)

Using a large linked administrative dataset from PopDataBC, the pathway and risk factors between an injury and an illicit drug overdose event were explored. Specifically, this project aimed to determine whether opioid prescription, opioid agonist therapy, whether the injury was work-related, and the profession affected the risk of overdose. Results were published in Health Reports.

Opioid-related hospitalizations in BC

The study will describe the burden of the current overdose epidemic in BC in terms of hospitalizations and their outcomes. 

Fentanyl-related deaths in BC increased from 0.3 per 100,000 people in 2012 to 12.1 per 100,000 people in 2016 (a 40-times increase), resulting in the declaration of an ongoing public health emergency in April 2016.⁶

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PREVENTION

Current evidence suggests the following best practices to prevent poisoning-related events or reduce their effects:

• Keep products in their original containers. Make sure they are clearly labeled.
• Install Canadian-certified carbon monoxide detectors in your home and have gas appliances serviced regularly.
• Have a Poison Control emergency number handy in case of emergency. BC DPIC: 1-800-567-8911 toll-free in B.C. or 604-682-5050 in Greater Vancouver.
• Do not try to make the person vomit if you suspect poisoning unless advised do to so by poison control or a medical professional.⁷

To Protect Young Children:

• Keep dangerous products out of sight and out of reach of children.
• Place safety latches on all drawers or cabinets containing harmful products, including medicine, alcohol and cannabis products, and cleaning products.
• Be mindful of where cannabis products are stored—especially edibles or cannabis-infused foods that imitate sweets, candies, or baked goods. Always ensure that any unconsumed cannabis is returned to its child-resistant packaging and not left on surfaces easily accessible to children.
• Use products that have child-resistant safety caps. Be aware that child-resistant caps are not child-proof.
• Avoid the use of cleaning products when children are close by.
• Do not leave button batteries lying around—even a "dead" button battery can be harmful, if swallowed or inserted into the body. Wrap them in tape and store them in a sealable container out of reach.
• Do not take medicine in front of a child, and never call medicine “candy.”
• Keep all cigarettes, butts, and ashtrays away from children.
• Ensure that visitors to your home place their purses and bags out of reach of children.
• Identify poisonous household plants, label each plant with its exact name, and keep plants off the floor and out-of-reach from young children.

Button Battery Safety:

• Children under six-years-old are at the highest risk of ingesting a button battery.
• If you suspect someone has ingested or inserted a button battery, this should be treated as quickly as possible. DO NOT induce vomiting.
• Immediate medical attention should be given – call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department.
• While on the way to the emergency department or waiting for help to arrive, use honey to reduce the risk of injury. Honey coats the battery and can help reduce the amount of chemical burn.
  • For infants under 12-months-old, or if honey is not available or has an allergy, you can use jam.
• Prevention Tips:
  • Reduce the number of products in your home that use button batteries.
  • Safely store batteries, live or dead—never leave them loose or lying around.
  • Make sure that products that do have button batteries have screws securing the battery panel.
• When discarding used button batteries, put tape all the way around them and store in a container with a screw-top lid.
• Learn more about button battery safety on this page.

While typically not fatal, cannabis poisoning can require urgent medical attention, especially for children.⁸

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RESOURCES

• Injury Insight: Alcohol Poisoning Among BC Youth (PDF) (January 2022)
• Injury Insight: Cannabis Poisoning Among Children & Youth (PDF) (June 2020)
• Webpage: Button Battery Safety (December 2024)

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