Indicator Profile of Poisoning Incidents

Why Is This Important?

In 2003 the rate of unintentional and undetermined poisoning deaths (13.9 per 100,000) surpassed the rate of motor vehicle crash deaths (13.2 per 100,000) in Utah. Until this time, motor vehicle crashes have been responsible for more lives lost than any other cause of injury.

Moreover, for Utahns ages 25-44, poisoning is the overall leading cause of death.

Poisoning is the second leading reason for injury hospitalizations, after falls.

Poisoning Deaths, Utah and U.S., 2000-2006

::chart - missing::

Data Notes

Utah drug deaths are a subset of Utah poisoning deaths. The vast majority of Utah poisoning deaths are due to drug/medication consumption. Poisoning deaths include: accidental drug deaths (X40-X44), accidental alcohol deaths (X45), accidental chemical, chemical vapor, and other substance deaths (X46, X48, X49), accidental deaths by gases (X47), undetermined drug deaths (Y10-Y14), undetermined alcohol deaths (Y15), undetermined chemical, chemical vapor, and other substance deaths (Y16, Y18, Y19), undetermined deaths by gases (Y17), suicide drug deaths (X60-X64), suicide alcohol deaths (X65), suicide chemical, chemical vapor, and other substance deaths (X66, X68, X69), suicide deaths by gases (X67), and homicide poisonings (X85). Utah's poisoning death rate exceeds the U.S. poisoning death rate. Utah experienced a slight decrease in poisoning deaths in 2001, but poisoning deaths have increased rapidly since then. On average, fewer than 2 deaths from alcohol poisoning (X45, Y15, X65) occur per year in Utah. These deaths are not included as part of the "drug" category on this graph; they are included however as part of the total Utah poisoning deaths.

Data Sources

Utah Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Utah Department of Health;  National Center for Injury Prevention and Control's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS); 

Other Views


Definition

The number of incidents (ED visits, hospitalizations, deaths) resulting from the ingestion of poison per 10,000 population (ED visits, hospitalizations) or per 100,000 (deaths). This includes unintentional poisonings, intentional poisonings, and poisonings of undetermined intent.

How We Calculated the Rates

Numerator: The number of incidents (ED visits, hospitalizations, deaths) resulting from the ingestion of poison.
Denominator: Total number of persons in the population of Utah.

Page Content Updated On 02/07/08, Published on 02/12/08
Violence and Injury Prevention Program, Bureau of Health Promotion, Division of Community and Family Health Services, Utah Department of Health, Salt Lake City, UT Telephone: (801) 538-6864. Email: vipp@utah.gov. Website: www.health.utah.gov/vipp
The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health's Center for Health Data IBIS-PH web site (http://ibis.health.utah.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: "Retrieved Thu, 21 August 2008 19:38:48 from Utah Department of Health, Center for Health Data, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://ibis.health.utah.gov".

Content updated: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:25:05 MDT