April 16th, 2024-CLEVELAND, Ohio-A report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) highlights a concerning trend: the number of children under five dying from accidental poisoning nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022. The CPSC recorded 98 deaths in 2022 compared to 59 in 2021, marking the highest number since the 1970s.
While some deaths were linked to household items like cleaning products and laundry detergent pods, there was a significant rise in accidental ingestion of narcotics and psychedelic drugs. Dr. Jerri Rose, a pediatrician at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, emphasized the dangers of even small amounts of narcotics like fentanyl, which can lead to severe respiratory depression and coma in children. Additionally, deaths related to over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen saw an increase between 2021 and 2022.
