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In 2008, the number of poisoning deaths exceeded the number of motor vehicle traffic deaths and was the leading cause of injury death for the first time since at least 1980. During the past three decades, the poisoning death rate nearly tripled, while the motor vehicle traffic death rate decreased by one-half. During this period, the percentage of poisoning deaths that were caused by drugs increased from about 60% to about 90%. The population groups with the highest drug poisoning death rates in 2008 were males, people aged 45–54 years, and non-Hispanic white and American Indian or Alaska Native persons. The vast majority of drug poisoning deaths are unintentional. Opioid analgesics were involved in more drug poisoning deaths than other specified drugs, including heroin and cocaine. Opioid analgesics were involved in nearly 15,000 deaths in 2008, while cocaine was involved in about 5,100 deaths and heroin was involved in about 3,000 deaths (data not shown). Deaths involving opioid analgesics may involve other drugs as well, including benzodiazepines. In addition to an increase in the number of deaths caused by drug poisoning, increases in drug use, abuse, misuse, and nonfatal health outcomes have been observed. In the past two decades, there has been an increase in the distribution and medical use of prescription drugs, including opioid analgesics. From 1999 to 2008, the use of prescription medications increased. In 2007–2008, 48% of Americans used at least one prescription drug in the past month and 11% of Americans used five or more prescriptions in the past month. Analgesics for pain relief were among the common drugs taken by adults aged 20–59 years. In 2009–2010, over 5 million Americans reported using prescription pain relievers nonmedically in the past month (that is, without a doctor's prescription or only for the experience or feeling they caused), and the majority of people using prescription pain relievers nonmedically reported getting the drugs from friends or family. From 2004 to 2008, the estimated rate of emergency department visits involving nonmedical use of opioid analgesics doubled from 49 per 100,000 to 101 per 100,000. Government agencies and other organizations joined together to achieve great reductions in the number of deaths from motor vehicle crashes in the past three decades. A comprehensive approach, including improvements in the safety of vehicles; improvements in roadways; increased use of restraint systems, such as seat belts and child safety seats; reductions in speed; and also efforts to reduce driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, contributed to the decline in motor vehicle related deaths. Using a comprehensive, multifaceted approach, it may be possible to reverse the trend in drug poisoning mortality. ; Margaret Warner, Li Hui Chen, Diane M. Makuc, Robert N. Anderson, and Arialdi M. Miniño. ; December 2011. ; Includes bibliographical references (p. 7-[8]).

15 p.-7 fig. Faria, Melissa et al. ; Terrorist use of organophosphorus-based nerve agents and toxic industrial chemicals against civilian populations constitutes a real threat, as demonstrated by the terrorist attacks in Japan in the 1990 s or, even more recently, in the Syrian civil war. Thus, development of more effective countermeasures against acute organophosphorus poisoning is urgently needed. Here, we have generated and validated zebrafish models for mild, moderate and severe acute organophosphorus poisoning by exposing zebrafish larvae to different concentrations of the prototypic organophosphorus compound chlorpyrifos-oxon. Our results show that zebrafish models mimic most of the pathophysiological mechanisms behind this toxidrome in humans, including acetylcholinesterase inhibition, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation, and calcium dysregulation as well as inflammatory and immune responses. The suitability of the zebrafish larvae to in vivo high-throughput screenings of small molecule libraries makes these models a valuable tool for identifying new drugs for multifunctional drug therapy against acute organophosphorus poisoning. ; This work was supported in part by the US Army ERDC-IRO (W912HZ-13-BAA-01; D.R., N.G.R., and P.J.B.) and Environmental Quality Research Program (N.G.R.), the NATO SfP project MD.SFPP 984777 (D.R., N.G.R., and P.J.B.), the National Science Foundation EPSCOR Grant EPS-0903787 (N.G.R.), the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology Grant SFRH/BPD/78342/2011 (Programme POPH – QREN through the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science and the European Social Fund; M.F.), the Advanced Grant ERC-2012-AdG-320737 (D.R.) and the Spanish Government (CTM2014-51985-R; D.R.). ; Peer reviewed

Abstract. Ingestion of pesticides is the most common suicide method worldwide, accounting for one third of all suicides, predominantly in Asia, Africa, Central and South America. Case fatalities are high, particularly in rural areas. This high case fatality may explain the similar numbers of male and female suicides in Asia, since more women die from their attempts. In Asia, pesticide suicides are mostly impulsive acts with little advance planning and they are less often associated with mental illness than in Western countries. Pesticides are generally chosen for their easy access. Prevention strategies include treating the problems leading to suicidal behaviors involving pesticides; changing attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs about pesticides; controlling access to dangerous pesticides, including developing secure storage practices (which are currently being evaluated); and improving the medical treatment of poisonings. More research is needed to better understand suicides involving pesticides in their cultural contexts and to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs, including assessment of possible substitution of methods. Also, more knowledge about protective factors may help suggest innovative prevention strategies.

Cheese made from sheep milk was implicated in food-poisoning incidents in December 1984 and January 1985. Bacteriological examination of batches of cheese failed to reveal a viable pathogen but enterotoxin A produced by Staphylococcus aureus was present. This was the first time that enterotoxin was detected in a food produced in the UK which was associated with poisoning and from which viable Staph. aureus could not be isolated. Subsequent detailed examination of milk, yoghurt and cheese from the same producer revealed that contamination with Staph. aureus was associated with post-infection carriage as well as clinical illness in ewes on the farm. Strains producing enterotoxon. A were still intermittently present in the bulk milk used for cheese production nearly 2 years afterwards, apparently in the absence of clinical illness in the sheep. The possible effects of heat treatment are discussed. Any changes in legislation should cover all non-human mammalian milk used for human consumption.

A retrospective case note study was made of 93 cases of deliberate self-poisoning admitted to the Casualty Department of a busy District General Hospital. The population under investigation is described in terms of age, sex and substance overdosed; it is broadly similar to populations described in most other studies of overdose. Our results show a higher incidence of functional psychoses (19.4%) than other studies, due to an excess of depressive psychosis in females. The main finding is that 84% of patients referred for psychiatric out-patient treatment either failed to attend or failed to complete the treatment. These results are discussed and suggestions made.

Background: Self-poisoning (overdose) is the commonest form of self-harm cases presenting to acute secondary care services in the UK, where there has been limited investigation of self-harm in black and minority ethnic communities. London has the UK's most ethnically diverse areas but presents challenges in resident-based data collection due to the large number of hospitals. Aims: To investigate the rates and characteristics of self-poisoning presentations in two central London boroughs. Method: All incident cases of self-poisoning presentations of residents of Lambeth and Southwark were identified over a 12-month period through comprehensive acute and mental health trust data collection systems at multiple hospitals. Analysis was done using STATA 12.1. Results: A rate of 121.4/100,000 was recorded across a population of more than half a million residents. Women exceeded men in all measured ethnic groups. Black women presented 1.5 times more than white women. Gender ratios within ethnicities were marked. Among those aged younger than 24 years, black women were almost 7 times more likely to present than black men were. Conclusion: Self-poisoning is the commonest form of self-harm presentation to UK hospitals but population-based rates are rare. These results have implications for formulating and managing risk in clinical services for both minority ethnic women and men.

Sulphur mustard (SM) is a chemical warfare agent of historical and current interest It is a wellknown blistering agent or vesicant SM was extensively used in world war I as a chemical weaponand has been stockpiled by several counbies since that time. SM serves as an ideal war gas and is favoured militarily for its ability to incapacitate rather than to kill. Its use resulted in large numbers ofcasualties requiring prolonged and intensive medical care. Despite Geneva Protocol of 1925, which categorically bnned the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons in wars, SM has beenused in several wars, including the Iran-Irnq war during the 1980s, which renewed interest in it.Though, the chemical we'dpons convention was signed by more than 160 counbies in 1993 and wassubsequently ratified by several counbies, the threat from this agent persists due to its clandestineusage during war and also by teITOrist groups. There is no effective and specific antidote for local andsystemic toxicity of SM despite scientific research for more than 75 years. Many compounds weretested as antidotes for SM, but very few of them have been shown to provide some protection. The present review is aimed at evaluating the treatment regime and other clinical measures used to treat SM victims and the various drugs and chemicals screened as antidotes for SM poisoning in experimental animals.

Pakistan is a place where only pesticides is considered as an effective source for control of pests and diseases, and we are using these deliberately by involving wide range of pesticides. Majority of chemicals are used in agriculture as data suggests that about 49399 million metric tons of pesticides had been used only in agriculture sector in 2010 in the country. Use of pesticides in other fields such as public health, fisheries, forestry and food industry is not included in the data. Though pesticides are useful in managing pest populations but these have adverse effects on humans, animals and ecosystems. The current work exhibits the effects of pesticides on human health in the country. Acute poisoning is one of the key issues resulted by unsafe handling and storage of pesticides in on-farm and off-farm premises in developing economies. From various areas in the country, pesticides are reported to be used as tool for suicide by teen agers due to easy access. According to department of Plant Protection (Karachi), total of 200 workers get affected showing low enzyme activity in their blood. In Multan, an adverse situation was observed as elevated levels (87.5 %) of acetylcholinesteras (AchE) activity was recorded in female cotton pickers as compared to males which have low (36 %) AchE activity because cotton is picked mostly by women in Pakistan. The aim of this work is to sum-up the weaknesses in practicing / implementing current policies and legislations for safe handling, storage and judicious use of pesticides. The acquired knowledge will later be used in making and improving the existing regulations for the subject