Poisoning circumstances

The majority of enquiries about poisoning in humans involved accidental/unintentional poisonings (n= 6,516). 2,351 enquiries related to therapeutic errors with medications, 1,236 enquiries were intentional overdoses, and 250 enquiries related to recreational abuse. The remaining cases were either adverse reactions, or cases of unknown circumstances or intent.

Agents involved in human poisoning

17,717 agents were involved in the cases of human poisoning. Over 56% of all agents were drugs (including medications and drugs of abuse), 17% were household products such as fabric detergent products and multipurpose cleaners, and 14.5% were chemicals, including alcohols, corrosive substances, essential oils, and hydrocarbons. In 2024, paracetamol, ibuprofen, and ethanol were the top three agents implicated in poisoning enquiries, similar to the previous years.

Drugs of abuse

There were 324 enquiries relating to 11 categories of drugs of abuse. The main drugs of abuse included cocaine and cannabis/cannabinoids. Many cases involved more than one drug of abuse.