Poisoning circumstances

The NPIC received 10,560 enquiries related to poisoning in humans. The majority of enquiries involved accidental/unintentional poisonings (n=6,501). 2,213 enquiries related to therapeutic errors with medications, 1,292 enquiries were intentional overdoses, and 194 enquiries related to recreational abuse. The remaining cases were either adverse reactions, or cases of unknown circumstances or intent.

Agents involved in human poisoning

Over 16,748 agents were involved in cases of human poisoning. Over 56% of all agents were drugs (including medications and drugs of abuse), 18.2% were household products such as fabric detergent products and multipurpose cleaners, and 14.8% were chemicals including alcohols, corrosive substances, essential oils, and hydrocarbons.

In 2023, paracetamol, ibuprofen and ethanol were the top three agents implicated in poisoning enquiries, similar to the previous years.

Drugs of abuse

There were 276 enquiries relating to 11 categories of drugs of abuse. The main drugs of abuse included cocaine, heroin, cannabis/cannabinoids, ecstasy, and amphetamines. Many cases involved more than one drug of abuse.